The Dominican Republic has secured a historic unanimous nomination from all countries of the Americas to serve as president of the 79th World Health Assembly, set to take place from May 18 to 23, 2026, at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
The selection aligns with WHO’s long-standing rotational leadership framework, which allocates the 2026 presidency to the World Health Organization’s Region of the Americas, represented regionally by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The full backing from every regional delegation was formalized during a closed-door meeting of country representatives held in October 2025, and the final confirmation of the appointment will take place during the opening plenary session of the 2026 assembly.
The official notification of the nomination was delivered in a formal letter addressed to Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader, which included a guarantee of full institutional support from PAHO and the American regional bloc as the country prepares to take on the leadership role.
This milestone marks the first occasion in history that the Dominican Republic has been selected to lead WHO’s highest decision-making body, a development that is widely viewed as a major global vote of confidence in the Caribbean nation’s public health leadership and contributions to international health cooperation. The annual World Health Assembly brings together senior health and diplomatic representatives from WHO’s 194 member states to identify pressing global health challenges, negotiate collaborative response frameworks, and set binding policy priorities that guide global public health work for the coming years.