Geneva, Switzerland (Virtual) 

July 18, 2025 

The global effort to harness technology for better health culminated this week with the conclusion of the 2nd Global Convening of the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH). Running virtually from July 14th to 18th, the event brought together policymakers, technologists, and health experts worldwide to address critical challenges and accelerate digital transformation in national health systems. The convening comes on the heels of a significant decision by the WHO Executive Board to extend the foundational “Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025,” providing crucial continuity for global efforts.

Focus on Governance, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainability

This year’s GIDH convening, themed “Coming together to build back better,” placed a strong emphasis on strengthening governance, fostering local entrepreneurship, and ensuring sustainability in national digital health transformations. Discussions spanned a range of priority areas identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its Member States, including:

 * Digital and data governance: Establishing robust frameworks for the ethical and secure use of health data.

 * Interoperability: Ensuring seamless exchange of information between different digital health systems.

 * Digital infrastructure: Building reliable and accessible technological foundations for healthcare delivery.

 * Equitable access to patient-centric technologies: Ensuring that digital health solutions benefit all populations, bridging the digital divide.

 * Artificial intelligence (AI) in health: Exploring the responsible and effective application of AI.

 * Digital health literacy and workforce capacity development: Equipping both healthcare professionals and the public with the skills needed to engage with digital health.

The virtual format allowed for broad participation, featuring panel discussions, breakout sessions, and rapid presentations designed to foster a global dialogue and identify concrete actions. A key objective was to map a pathway for how collective partnerships and network collaboration can effectively plan, finance, and execute country-led digital transformation, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

WHO Extends Digital Health Strategy to 2027

A significant development providing a critical anchor for these discussions was the WHO Executive Board’s approval of a two-year extension of the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025. This strategy, originally endorsed by the Seventy-third World Health Assembly in 2020, was set to expire this year. However, recognizing the ongoing challenges and the need for sustained efforts, Member States at the 156th session of the Executive Board (and subsequently endorsed by the 78th World Health Assembly in May 2025) agreed to extend it through to 2027.

This extension provides continuity for ongoing initiatives and allows for further progress in areas where significant gaps remain, especially in vulnerable communities where sweeping changes in technical and financial support have put digital health systems at risk. The decision also calls for the development of a new Global Strategy on Digital Health for the period 2028-2033, which will be discussed at the Eightieth World Health Assembly, ensuring a forward-looking approach to digital health transformation.

The Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH), implemented under WHO’s broader Global Health Strategy 2025–2028 (the Fourteenth General Programme of Work), aims to accelerate the implementation of this foundational strategy and its subsequent extensions and renewals. By focusing on fundamental pillars like a Country Needs Tracker, a Transformation Toolbox, and a Convening and Knowledge Exchange platform, GIDH seeks to address issues such as duplication of efforts and a “products-focused” approach to digital health.

As the virtual convening concludes, the extension of the Global Strategy on Digital Health provides a crucial mandate for international collaboration, ensuring that the momentum gained in leveraging technology for health continues towards building more resilient, equitable, and person-centered health systems worldwide.