In 2005 the World Health Assembly through its resolution WHA58.28 on eHealth urged Member States “to consider drawing up a long-term strategic plan for developing and implementing eHealth services… to develop the infrastructure for information and communication technologies for health…to promote equitable, affordable and universal access to their benefits.”
by World Health Organization | Selected by César Gerreros – KW Foundation Europe
Countries and stakeholders were urged to direct their efforts towards creating a consistent eHealth vision in line with a country’s health priorities and resources, developing an action plan to deliver the proposed vision, and creating a framework for monitoring and evaluating eHealth implementation and progress. More than 120 Member States – including low- and middle-income countries – have developed such strategies and policies.
In 2013, the Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA66.24 on eHealth standardization and interoperability, which urged Member States “to consider developing … policies and legislative mechanisms linked to an overall national eHealth strategy”.
Drawing on these resolutions and recognizing the need to strengthen digital health implementation, in May 2018 the Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA71.7 on digital health, in which it requested the Director-General “to develop … in close consultation with Member States and with inputs from relevant stakeholders … a global strategy on digital health, identifying priority areas including where WHO should focus its efforts”. The strategy was developed through a consultative process launched in March 2019 that included discussions in online public forums, technical consultations, meetings of the WHO regional committees and the Executive Board at its 146th session1. The global strategy on digital health 2020–2027 was endorsed by the Seventy-third World Health Assembly in decision WHA73(28) (2020).
The global strategy on digital health builds on resolutions adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and the World Health Assembly, related WHO global and regional reports, regional strategies, the two-part report of the ISO Technical Committee on Health Informatics on eHealth architecture, the resolution on ICD-11 and the WHO Family of international classifications and terminologies, the three-part National eHealth strategy toolkit, Member States’current digital health situation and status, actions, strategies, policies and investments, and recommendations of various United Nations panels on digital and innovation topics.
World Health Assembly resolution WHA78(22), adopted on 23 May 2025, endorsed the extension of the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2025 timeline by two years to 2027. This publication has been updated to reflect the revised timeline as endorsed by the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly. Apart from the revised timeline, the contents of the updated strategy are identical to those in the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2025.
Source: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240116870