WHA 79 Side Event – Rare Diseases: a Catalyst for Global Health Transformation

Rare diseases expose the stress points of our health systems, revealing gaps in diagnosis, care coordination, innovation, data, financing, and access. More importantly, they offer a powerful opportunity:

If health systems are designed to deliver for rare diseases, they can deliver for everyone.

During the 79th World Health Assembly, Rare Diseases International (RDI)  will host a side-event in Geneva entitled “Rare Diseases: A Catalyst for Global Health Transformation“, which will bring together policymakers, patient advocates, industry leaders, researchers, and global health institutions to explore how achieving UHC requires reaching those who are hardest to reach.

This side event builds on the landmark WHA Resolution “Rare Diseases; a global health priority for equity and inclusion” adopted at the 78th WHA, which recognized rare diseases as a global health priority, and called for the development of a 10-Year Global Action Plan on Rare Diseases (GAPRD). As we move toward implementation of these commitments, it is important to reflect on the transversality of rare diseases and the importance of developing people-centered health systems.

This is about improving the lives of the over 300 million persons living with a rare diseases worldwide, but it’s about scaling innovative solutions and designing systems that are more precise, integrated, person-centred, and equitable.

📍 Geneva Graduate Institute (Geneva, Switzerland)

🗓️ 20 May 2026, 18:00–20:00 (CEST) (Cocktail reception to follow until 21:00 CEST)

Stay tuned for the agenda and speakers! We look forward to convening diverse voices to align on solutions, scale impact, and drive real change across rare diseases and global health.