WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the Annual General Meeting of the WHO Civil Society Commission – 2 April 2026

Our Chair, Gaudenz Silberschmidt,

Our co-Chairs, Ravi Ram and Wafa Al Madhagi,

Members of the WHO Civil Society Commission,

Dear colleagues and friends,

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening to everyone joining us from around the world.

I thank the Co-Chairs, the Steering Committee, and all of you -more than five hundred civil society organizations -for your commitment, your leadership, and your partnership.

You are at on the front lines of global health, working closely with communities, often in the most difficult circumstances.

You are trusted voices in communities. You play critical roles in advocacy, accountability, service delivery, and social participation.

You are the bridge between policy and people. We cannot achieve better health outcomes without you.

I don't need to tell you that the past year has been one of the most difficult we have seen in global health.

Funding has declined. Crises have multiplied. And needs -especially in the most vulnerable communities -have continued to grow.

Civil society organizations have felt these pressures acutely.

Many of you have been forced to reduce programmes, scale back operations, or make painful decisions about staff and services.

WHO has also faced significant challenges.

But for all of us, this moment is not only a challenge. It's also an opportunity.

The global health landscape is shifting rapidly. Reforms to the global health architecture are underway.

The question is not whether we adapt -it is how we adapt, and whether we do so together.

When resources shrink, the need for solidarity and partnership only increases.

In this context, the role of civil society is more important than ever.

Since its establishment in 2023, the Civil Society Commission has focused on building the foundations for meaningful engagement.

Membership has grown, governance structures are now in place, working groups are active.

You have contributed to WHO's strategic thinking, including the Fourteenth General Programme of Work, the process on reforming the Global Health Architecture and other key policy discussions.

I also welcome your closer collaboration with the WHO Youth Council.

Today marks a shift.

The Commission is moving from building the platform to activating it - from structure to implementation.

The 2026 to 2028 Workplan reflects this transition. It is designed to improve predictability, increase transparency, and support more systematic and meaningful engagement across all levels of WHO.

For WHO, this is a clear commitment. We want to move from consultation to genuine partnership.

We want engagement that is not ad hoc, but embedded. And we want to listen -and act -on what we hear from civil society.

This is a difficult moment for global health, but it is also a defining one.

There is an opportunity to strengthen partnerships, build trust, and create more resilient systems that can withstand future shocks.

Realizing that opportunity will require honesty, openness, and shared responsibility.

It will require WHO to continue changing how we work -and it will require civil society to continue challenging us, supporting us, and working alongside us.

Thank you all for your resilience, your leadership, and your commitment to communities around the world.

Together, we can continue working towards realizing WHO's founding vision: the highest attainable standard of health, not as a luxury for some, but a right for all.

Thank you, and I wish you a very productive meeting.