Uniting against the global cholera emergency

High level side event on cholera in observance of the 77th World Health Assembly

Special addresses by:

• Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO
• Mr. Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General, IFRC
• Mr. Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF
• H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General, Africa CDC

The Cholera Side Event 2024, scheduled to coincide with the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA), is a pivotal gathering aimed at addressing the escalating global cholera crisis. Co-hosted by WHO, IFRC and UNICEF, in partnership with the Global Task Force on Cholera Control, this event follows previous GTFCC high-level meetings held in observance of the WHAs since the launch of the Global Cholera Roadmap. This initiative follows the urgent need for a concerted, multisectoral response as stipulated in the GTFCC roadmap launched in 2017, which seeks to reduce cholera mortality by 90% and eliminate the disease in 20 countries by 2030.

Given the acute resurgence of cholera outbreaks globally, the side event serves as a critical platform to reinforce and amplify the commitments made under the roadmap, fostering a renewed global commitment to cholera control and prevention.

This event will specifically seek to achieve the following three objectives:

• Raise awareness of the unprecedented cholera outbreaks and deteriorating global cholera trends, whilst emphasizing the critical need for targeted multisectoral investments in cholera control, especially through a combination of case management, risk communication and community engagement (RCCE), and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions.
• Advocate for greater integration of cholera control and prevention strategies into national budgets, and existing regional/international financing mechanisms.
• Highlight the critical role of multisectoral cholera interventions in improving outcomes for the world’s most marginalized communities, including through the advancement of health equity (e.g., health systems strengthening, limiting the burden of other disease outbreaks, etc.) and country resilience.

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For more information please contact gtfccsecretariat@who.int