GENEVA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The nine-day 78th World Health Assembly concluded here on Tuesday, during which member states adopted the much-anticipated global pandemic agreement and approved the base program budget of over 4 billion U.S. dollars for 2026-2027.

The World Health Organization (WHO) noted that the adoption of the Pandemic Agreement culminated more than three years of intensive negotiations launched by governments in response to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the goal of making the world safer from and more equitable in response to future pandemics.

"The WHO pandemic agreement will run among the most significant achievements in the history of this organization and of global health," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said after the global pact's adoption, underscoring that it places humanity in a stronger position than ever before to prepare for and respond to pandemics.

Delegates at the Assembly approved a base program budget of 4.2 billion dollars for 2026-2027, fully based on the Fourteenth General Program of Work, the global health strategy developed by the UN specialized agency for the next four years. The budget presented to the Assembly was decreased from an initial 5.3 billion dollars submitted to the executive board in February.

The Assembly adopted a range of decisions and resolutions, including strengthening health financing globally, adopting a new global traditional medicine strategy, galvanizing global support for a lead-free future, committing to improve nutrition for mothers and young children, updating global action plan on antimicrobial resistance and setting a voluntary target to halve the health impacts of air pollution by 2040.

In addition, the decisions and resolutions passed by the Assembly also address areas such as lung health, kidney health, rare diseases, skin diseases, digital health, medical imaging, health and care workforce, nursing and midwifery.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attended the Assembly and delivered a speech at a high-level welcoming ceremony. The Chinese delegation participated in the review of over 70 agenda items throughout the Assembly, hosted three thematic side events and held exchange activities with the WHO and delegations from relevant countries. ■