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The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations (UN) health agency – the World Health Organization and is composed of health ministers from 194 countries.
79th WHA will be held during 18-23 May 2026 at UN in Geneva. With growing anti-rights and anti-gender backlash, several gender equality and global health activists are calling to health ministers who will meet at the intergovernmental WHA79 to protect gains made on #HealthForAll as well as advance progress towards gender equality.
“It is a human rights imperative to counter anti-rights and anti-gender pushbacks while we accelerate progress towards achieving gender equality and human right to health. Both, gender equality (including SDG-5 targets) and right to health (including SDG-3 targets) are inseparable, inalienable and indivisible. While all countries promise to deliver on WHA79 agenda and #HealthForAll, would they also act upon to bridge the gaps in progress on gender equality? Governments cannot deliver on health for all while abetting anti-rights and anti-gender regressive agenda,” said Shobha Shukla, Coordinator and Host of SHE & Rights.
The WHA79 agenda has few instances of reference to gender equality related agenda items, such as, on “Strategy for integrating gender analysis and actions into the work of WHO” but this is clearly not enough to ensure we deliver on Universal Healthcare Coverage by 2030,” added Shobha.
Noted human rights defender Matcha Phorn-in demanded that gender equality and human right to health must be central to all development policies, investments and projects. Matcha, who serves as Executive Director of Sangsan Anakot Yawachon, was speaking in the inaugural SHE & Rights Live session at Women Deliver Conference 2026.
She also calls for full recognition of indigenous peoples and their rights, as well as implementation of free, prior and informed consent in all development projects. There must be accountability for human rights violations and environmental harms caused by these projects and business activities.
Matcha also demanded another non-negotiable: an inclusive and non-discriminatory healthcare system and public services, which must include full access to gender-affirming care as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights services – where no one is left behind. We must move beyond symbolism when it comes to legal and policy reforms so that all people in all their diversities can have full access to public health services and social protection in a rights-based manner.
"With the current right-wing uproar, we need to remember that we demand sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice, and not just reproductive health. We also need to decolonise development finance, have radical inclusivity and pivot intersectionality," said Dr Harjyot Khosa, a gender justice and global health advocate.
One of the agendas at WHA 2026 is a report on Decade of Healthy Ageing 2020–2030. A special SHE & Rights session at Women Deliver Conference 2026 focussed on currently being drafted legally binding UN treaty (legally binding instrument) for human rights of older persons, with a focus on women, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised and vulnerable communities – with lifecycle approach.
“Longevity is one of humanity’s greatest achievements. Yet the promise of longer life is too often accompanied by persistent gaps in the protection of human rights. Instead of celebrating older age most people fear it and ageism fuels this fear. Ageism lurks. I, being an older person myself, was among those with lived experience who were invited to historic first-ever drafting of this treaty in Geneva in February 2026,” said Shobha Shukla, founder leader of Development Justice for Older Persons (DJ4OP) and host of SHE & Rights.
While opening the IGWG meet, Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, who, like Shobha, is a senior citizen herself, had said that "meaningful participation is essential. Older persons themselves - in all their diversity, including older women, older persons with disabilities, those belonging to indigenous peoples, minorities and rural communities - must be actively engaged in this process. Civil society organisations, national human rights institutions and independent experts bring indispensable experience, data and insight. An inclusive and transparent process will strengthen both the legitimacy and the quality of the outcome."
“Ageism is one big elephant in the room. It includes harmful norms, stereotypes, narratives and tropes against older persons. It affects women more than men; less educated more than better educated. To be a gender diverse person or a woman or one with disability and to be elderly is double trouble in many countries including India, more so if you stand up against ageism and do not fit into the norm. Subtle nuances of ageism abound in every nook and corner and lurk where you least expect them - homes, society at large, workplace, industry, healthcare facilities, media... the list is endless,” said Shobha Shukla.
In Argentina, social protection for older persons is fragile as often lacks optimal resources especially for healthcare, said Dr Mabel Bianco, a noted feminist leader and founder, Foundation for Studies and Research on Women and 2024 Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, International Federation of Ageing. Dr Mabel agrees with Shobha Shukla that harmful stereotypes like ageism blocks access of older persons to sexual health services.
Dr Pam Rajput, Emeritus Professor, Panjab University, India, and former Chairperson of Government of India's High-Level Committee on the Status of Women, shared her personal testimony of duty travels when she, being a senior citizen herself, needs to travel via airplanes. One question she is frequently asked ‘if she is travelling alone,’ which stinks of harmful stereotypes that make it difficult for many to comprehend that older person, especially women, may also travel for work. Unless we normalise economic rights along with gender, social and cultural rights of older persons especially women, we would not be able to address ageism and the challenge which population ageing poses.
“Around the world millions of girls and women live in uncertainties if they would be safe, heard, and protected. This is a reality we must confront. Globally, 1 in 3 women experience physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. But behind these numbers are women who remain unseen – older women, women with disabilities, or girls and women in political situations who are often excluded from data – and therefore, excluded from protection,” said Dr Imran Pambudi, Director of Vulnerable Groups Health Services, Ministry of Health, Indonesia. Older persons, ending violence against women, persons with disabilities - are some of the focus areas of Dr Pambudi.
“In Indonesia, number of women who face violence increased by 14% in 2024 (330,000 women faced violence that year). One-third of these cases were of sexual violence. It is important to recognise that around 90% of rape cases are not reported – which means that what we see in data is only the surface of a much deeper reality. We must realise that violence affects women at all stages of life.
In Indonesia, around 12% of population is of older persons. By 2045, ~20% of Indonesian population is expected to be of older persons. This means that protecting the rights, health and dignity of older persons is not a ‘future concern’ but a present responsibility,” said Dr Pambudi. “Persons with disabilities are twice as likely to face health problems.”
In Indonesia since February 2025, over 7 million older persons have already undergone free health screening provided by the government.
“Protecting rights must go hand-in-hand with ending gender-based violence across the life course. Violence persists where systems fail to protect, where voices are not heard, and inequalities are left unaddressed. Health sector must play an important role not only for treatment, care and support but also for prevention and survivor-centred response,” said Dr Pambudi.
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