Addressing the Need For Global Public Health Priority of Skin Diseases
Côte d’ Ivoire, together with Nigeria, Togo, Micronesia, China, Egypt and Colombia is leading an initiative to place skin diseases firmly on the global public health agenda and have proposed a World Health Assembly Resolution on “Skin diseases as a global public health priority ”.
GlobalSkin has joined many other organizations to call for the adoption of this resolution which represents an overdue recognition of the immense burden that skin diseases place on individuals, communities, and health systems worldwide.
Skin diseases affect individuals of all ages and are one of the most common reasons for seeking medical help, impacting an estimated 4.69 million people globally each year. Yet, they remain disproportionately neglected in national and global health priorities. The consequences extend beyond physical suffering, with social stigma, mental health impacts, and lost productivity exacerbating inequalities, particularly in low and middle-income countries.
You can find the WHO resolution on rare diseases – titled “Rare diseases: a global health priority for equity and inclusion” – on the WHO website as part of the documents from the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA78):
The draft resolution (WHA78.11) is available in PDF format via the WHO Executive Board documents (EB156/16 and A78/R11) at: apps.who.int.
The resolution was formally adopted on 24 May 2025 during WHA78.
How to access:
Go to the WHO Executive Board (EB156) page and look for document EB156/16 – Rare diseases: a global health priority for equity and inclusion (or search by PDF code: EB156/B156_CONF2 or EB156/B156_(15)): apps.who.int.
Visit the official WHA78 site for document WHA78.11 (Rare diseases: a global health priority for equity and inclusion), which contains the final wording: cdn.who.int.
For the official press release detailing the resolution’s adoption, see the WHA daily update from 24 May 2025: Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly – Daily update: 24 May 2025 at who.int.
Summary of the key points from the resolution
Declares rare diseases a global health priority, affecting over 300 million people worldwide living with one of more than 7,000 rare diseases.
Urges Member States to integrate rare disease actions into:
- National health planning.
- Universal health coverage.
- Early diagnosis (including newborn screening).
- Equitable access to treatments.
- Psychosocial support.
- Inclusive policy frameworks.
Mandates the WHO to develop a 10-year Global Action Plan with measurable targets to advance:
- Equity and inclusion.
- Diagnosis and care.
- Research and innovation.
