Dermatology Societies from Around the World Welcome Milestone WHA Resolution on Skin Diseases

Now we call on Member States and Other Stakeholders to Invest in Equitable Access to Skin Health Services

Dermatology societies from around the world have welcomed the adoption of the historic resolution ‘Skin Diseases as a Global Public Health Priority’ at the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA). Through our global society, ILDS, we now calling on member states, regulators, NGOs, donors and other stakeholders to work together to implement the resolution and transform access to skin health services globally.

Proposed by Côte d’Ivoire, and co-sponsored by Micronesia (Federated States of), Nigeria, Togo, China, Egypt and Colombia, the resolution, adopted by member states of the WHA on Saturday 24 May 2025 , highlights the urgent need to improve care for the more than two billion people globally living with skin diseases.

Among its recommendations, it calls for member states to:

• Dedicate adequate resources and prioritise skin diseases and their comorbidities
• Strengthen national surveillance, data collection and mapping of skin diseases to promote targeted interventions
• Strengthen competency-based education for the health workforce in primary healthcare settings in the identification of and management of skin diseases and their comorbidities.

The ILDS and its member societies warn that significant investment is now required to ensure that primary healthcare systems are equipped to meet the challenge of implementing the resolution.