WHA Resolution Post Adoption: The Road to a Global Action Plan

At the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78) in May 2025, Member States adopted the landmark resolution “Skin Diseases as a Global Public Health Priority,” a decision that marks a historic turning point for the more than two billion people worldwide living with skin conditions. For the first time, skin diseases are officially recognized as a global public health priority—placing them on par with other major noncommunicable and infectious diseases and creating a mandate for action across prevention, early detection, effective treatment, and long-term care. 

The resolution highlights the full spectrum of conditions, from autoimmune, genetic, and inflammatory disorders to infectious and climate-sensitive diseases, and calls on governments to integrate skin health into national health strategies, strengthen primary care and workforce training, and ensure affordable access to diagnostics, medicines, and essential treatments. It also emphasizes the need to address mental health, social stigma, disability, and inclusion through coordinated health and social services.

GlobalSkin has been instrumental in shaping this historic outcome. Through years of patient-driven advocacy, extensive collaboration with the World Health Organization and Member States, and the generation of robust evidence through its GRIDD and PRIDD research initiatives, GlobalSkin elevated the patient voice to the world stage. CEO Jennifer Austin notes that this milestone means “for the first time, the voices of people living with skin diseases have been truly heard by Ministers of Health all around the world.” Today, GlobalSkin continues to lead by coordinating resources for member organizations across more than 70 countries, enabling them to engage in national advocacy, participate in the global consultation process, and drive reforms that embed dermatology in universal health coverage.

The human impact behind this resolution is reflected in patient voices worldwide. People living with chronic skin conditions share stories of delayed diagnoses, lack of affordable treatments, and the heavy burden of stigma and mental health challenges. Their testimonies underscore why the resolution matters: it reframes skin diseases as serious health conditions with broad social and economic consequences, and it provides a path toward equitable care and dignity.

Moving from resolution to action will require sustained commitment—mobilizing funding and resources, integrating skin health into essential medicines lists and primary care, training health workers, and embracing innovation in research and digital health. The forthcoming Global Action Plan on Skin Diseases will set targets and timelines, ensuring accountability and measurable progress at national and international levels. 

Policymakers and health systems are urged to embed skin health within universal health coverage, invest in diagnostics and treatment access, and to create inclusive strategies that address mental health, stigma, and social inclusion alongside clinical care. Patient organizations can participate in WHO consultations and press for national implementation. Media, researchers, and donors can amplify the need for stronger data, innovation, and long-term support. Together, these efforts will turn the promise of the WHA resolution into measurable improvements in lives and health systems worldwide.

GlobalSkin will work to ensure that patient organizations from our worldwide network will have opportunities to contribute their insights, ensuring that access to affordable, high-quality dermatology care is embedded in global health strategies. 

At the same time, GlobalSkin is bringing this momentum to the global stage at the 80th United Nations General Assembly and the 4th High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases in New York in September 2025. By engaging government representatives, health agencies, and civil society partners, we are positioning dermatology within the wider NCD agenda and reinforcing the priorities set out in the skin diseases resolution. We are working to ensure that skin diseases and their many comorbidities are linked to the NCD policy agenda. These discussions build crucial relationships and open new avenues for policy influence, ensuring that skin health remains a recognized and well-resourced global health priority.

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