The World Medical Association General Assembly 2026 in summary

The 77th General Assembly of the World Medical Association, held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from 7–10 October 2026 and hosted by the Royal Dutch Medical Association (KNMG), brought together delegates from 46 National Medical Associations to address urgent issues facing the medical profession today.

Adoption of key WMA policies and governance items

The General Assembly adopted a comprehensive package of new and revised policies, reflecting the collective consensus of the global medical profession on issues central to ethics, the protection of health care, public health and patient care.

In total, the General Assembly adopted 5 new policies and revised 9 policies, while reaffirming several existing policies with minor revisions.

The declarations, resolutions and statements adopted or updated by the WMA General Assembly include:

• WMA Declaration of Rotterdam on the Protection of Medical Neutrality in times of Armed Conflict and Other Situations of Violence→ related press release (10 October 2026): Global Physicians Demand Accountability for Attacks on Healthcare

• WMA Statement on Addressing False Health Information
• WMA Resolution on Childhood Vaccination Schedules→ related press release (14 October 2026): Diseases we almost defeated could return, WMA warns over childhood vaccine schedule changes

• WMA Resolution on Escalating Global Armed Conflict and Violence and Restoring Peace
• WMA Resolution on the Critical Deterioration of the Healthcare System in the West Bank
• WMA Declaration of Delhi on Health and Climate Change→ related press release (13 October 2026): Climate Change Threatens the Health of Future Generations, Physicians warn

• WMA Declaration of Montevideo on Disaster Preparedness and Medical Response
• WMA Statement on Medical Education
• WMA Statement on Ethical Issues Concerning Patients with Mental Illness
• WMA Resolution on the Repression of Nicaraguan Doctors→ related press release (15 October 2026) World Medical Association urges Nicaragua to restore its national medical association and stop silencing physicians

The Assembly also reaffirmed the WMA Declaration of Tokyo – Guidelines for Physicians concerning Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in relation to Detention and Imprisonment and the WMA Declaration of Sydney on the Determination of Death and the Recovery of Organs.

Scientific Session – Practising Under Pressure

The Scientific Session, held on 8 October under the theme “Practising under pressure: Balancing moral distress and resilience”, examined how moral distress affects physicians in everyday practice and how medical associations and health institutions can respond. Prof. Cynda Rushton (Johns Hopkins University, USA) delivered the keynote on the key concepts and current challenges of moral distress. Speakers and delegates explored the systemic pressures facing physicians today, from workforce shortages to conflict and resource constraints, and stressed that safeguarding physician well-being is essential to the quality and safety of patient care.

Panel Discussion– Violence against Health Care and the Protection of Medical Neutrality

 The Assembly, at its Plenary Session, also held a panel discussion on violence against health care and the protection of medical neutrality, featuring Dr Maria Guevara, International Medical Secretary of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and Ms Avril Patterson, Head of the Health Unit at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Drawing on their organisations’ experience in conflict zones, the panellists discussed the growing threats facing health workers, patients and facilities, and the shared responsibility of states, humanitarian actors and the medical profession to uphold medical neutrality.

 New WMA President – Dr JungYul Park

Dr Jung Yul Park (Korea) was installed as the 77th President of the World Medical Association for 2026–2027. A professor of neurosurgery at Korea University and Chair of International Affairs of the Korean Medical Association, he previously served as Chair of the WMA Council and the WMA Finance and Planning Committee Chair.

In his inaugural address, he set out six commitments for his term: strengthening primary health care; protecting professional autonomy; setting human-centred ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence; building disaster preparedness and climate-resilient health systems; defending international humanitarian law and medical neutrality; and opening the WMA more widely to junior doctors, women in medicine and physicians from the smallest National Medical Associations. He emphasised that there can be no retreat from human dignity, patient rights and professional autonomy.→ related press release (9 October 2026):
New WMA President Pledges to Protect Physicians, Strengthen Primary Healthcare and Set Ethical Standards for the Digital Era

New WMA President-Elect – Dr Steinunn Thordardottir

 Dr Thordardottir (Iceland) was elected President-Elect. She will assume the presidency at the 78th WMA General Assembly in Bangkok, Thailand, in October 2027.

New Constituent Member

The Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association was admitted to WMA Constituent Membership