Geneva, 27 May 2024 - The Group of Friends of the WHO Academy was launched today on the sidelines of the 77th World Health Assembly. The event was co-hosted by founding members: France, Indonesia, Japan, Qatar and Rwanda, represented by their minister or vice minister of health.

With 30 Member States in attendance, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, expressed his gratitude to the founding Friends, stating, "As a key initiative of the WHO Transformation that began in 2018, the WHO Academy will be a vital asset for Member States, and a game changer in the way WHO supports countries in building capacities. The support of the Group of Friends will enable the WHO Academy to drive lifelong learning in health as a global priority."

Supported by France, the WHO Academy campus in Lyon will open its doors at the end of 2024. Serving the global health and care workforce, its training delivery will include a portfolio of evidence-based courses available globally online and in-person capacity-building programmes offered in Lyon as well as in Member States.

The Group of Friends will offer political support to promote the Academy and advocate for investment in health workforce training. The group's goal is to help the WHO Academy become the world's leading institution for lifelong learning in health.

About WHO

The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.