# World Health Summit > The World Health Summit (WHS) is an annual multi-stakeholder forum on global health, founded in 2009 at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. It convenes heads of state, health ministers, scientists, civil-society leaders, and the private sector each October in Berlin to set the global health agenda. WHS is held under the patronage of the German Federal Government and the World Health Organization (WHO), with academic backing from the M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies. ## Organization facts - **Legal name:** WHS Foundation GmbH - **Founded:** 2009 - **Founding institution:** Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin - **Office address:** Robert-Koch-Platz 4, 10115 Berlin, Germany - **Website:** https://www.worldhealthsummit.org - **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Summit - **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1471823 - **Google Maps:** https://maps.app.goo.gl/qzWSYT1ovgE6cFvh9 ## Annual summit (recurring event) - **Recurrence:** annually in October - **Location:** Berlin, Germany (hybrid — in-person + online participation) - **Latest concluded edition:** WHS 2025 (Berlin) - **Upcoming edition:** WHS 2026 — see https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/events/annual-whs/2026 for confirmed dates and venue - **Registration:** https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/registration/participation - **Typical participation:** several thousand in-person delegates + tens of thousands of digital participants, from 100+ countries - **Programme scope:** ~50+ sessions across keynotes, panels, workshops, and side events - **Past editions archive:** https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/events/annual-whs/past-years ## Regional meetings WHS also organises regional meetings outside Berlin to advance the global health agenda in different parts of the world: - WHS Regional Meeting 2025 — India (Delhi): https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/events/regional-meetings/2025-india - WHS Regional Meeting 2026 — Kenya (Nairobi): https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/events/regional-meetings/2026-kenya ## Governance and partners - **Political patrons:** German Federal Government; rotating high-level patronage from European partner governments - **International patron:** World Health Organization (WHO) - **Academic host:** Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin - **Academic network:** M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies — global member institutions across multiple countries - **WHS Academic Alliance publications:** https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/about/whs-academic-alliance/whs-academic-alliance-publications ## Key thematic areas - Universal Health Coverage - Pandemic Preparedness and Response - Climate Change and Planetary Health - Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence in Health - Health Systems Resilience - Global Health Financing - Women's and Children's Health - Humanitarian Health, Peace and Safety - Migration, Displacement and Human Mobility - Health Equity and Human Rights - Youth as Leaders for Global Health ## Key URLs - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org — Homepage - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/about/our-organisation — Mission, governance, history - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/about/our-organisation/leadership — Leadership - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/about/our-organisation/team — Team - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/about/whs-academic-alliance/whs-academic-alliance-guidelines — Academic Alliance guidelines - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/events/annual-whs — The annual summit in Berlin - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/events/annual-whs/2026 — WHS 2026 - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/events/annual-whs/speakers — Confirmed speakers - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/events/annual-whs/past-years — Past editions - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/events/regional-meetings — Regional meetings - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/themes — Thematic areas of the summit programme - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/themes/major-diseases-health-conditions-and-their-impacts — Theme: Major diseases, health conditions and their impacts - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/whs-perspectives — WHS Perspectives: signed commentary by global health leaders - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/about/whs-academic-alliance — WHS Academic Alliance - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/media/media-coverage — External reporting on the summit - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/media/news — News - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/media/press — Press resources - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/meta/imprint — Imprint - https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/registration/participation — Participation formats, fees, and how to register ## Frequently asked questions - **What is the World Health Summit?** The World Health Summit is an annual multi-stakeholder forum on global health, founded in 2009 at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. It brings together heads of state, ministers, scientists, civil-society leaders, and private-sector representatives in Berlin each year to set the global health agenda. - **Who organises the World Health Summit?** WHS is organised by WHS Foundation GmbH in partnership with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, under the patronage of the German Federal Government and the World Health Organization (WHO). - **When and where is the next World Health Summit?** The annual summit takes place each October in Berlin, Germany. For the confirmed 2026 dates and venue, see https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/events/annual-whs/2026. - **Who can attend the World Health Summit?** Policymakers, scientists, civil-society representatives, and private-sector leaders. Participation formats, fees, and registration are described at https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/registration/participation. - **Is the World Health Summit in person, online, or hybrid?** Hybrid. The summit is held in person in Berlin and streamed online; selected sessions accept fully digital participation. - **Where is the World Health Summit office located?** Robert-Koch-Platz 4, 10115 Berlin, Germany. - **How can journalists get accreditation?** Press accreditation is offered for the annual summit. See https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/media/press for the current call and contact details. ## Legal - [Imprint](https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/meta/imprint): Legal information and contact details for the publisher WHS Foundation GmbH.