A preview of this year’s WHA from the Dutch Youth Delegate
Hello everyone!
My name is Manar Daoud, I am 24 years old, and currently in my final year of medical school.
This year, I have the honour of serving as the Youth Delegate on behalf of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations – The Netherlands (IFMSA-NL).
This programme is a collaboration between IFMSA-NL, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BZ), and aims to increase the engagement of future healthcare professionals in global health policy. Throughout this year, I will be working to strengthen youth participation in global health issues. This includes delving into global health policy in the Netherlands, engaging and inspiring fellow students through local events, and, as part of the Dutch delegation, delivering a statement during the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva. My statement will align with the theme of Health and Care Workers Protection — a topic closely tied to solidarity, justice, and the future of healthcare.
- How are you preparing for the World Health Assembly (WHA)?
- Which topics are you focusing on?
- Which meetings will you participate in?
- Which events will you attend, and why?
I am preparing for the WHA by thoroughly studying the agenda and resolutions and by keeping up to date with developments through online updates and our bi-monthly meetingswith the Ministry.
At the start of my term, I chose two focus points: Health and Care Workers Protection and Neglected Tropical Diseases. I also followed the Executive Board meeting of the WHO on these themes. Alongside climate, mental health, and pandemic preparedness, these topics equally deserve our attention. Both areas intersect global health care and social justice and reveal what inequality in health looks like in practice: who cares for others, and who often gets forgotten? Young people are impacted on both fronts — consider young healthcare workers facing unattractive working conditions, burnouts, or physical violence, or young people living in harmful environments with lifelong health consequences.
The future will only be as healthy as the young people living in it — and the healthcare system that supports them.
During the WHA, I look forward to discussions with the Dutch delegation, including the Director-General for Public Health, and with other youth delegates from around the world. The schedule for side-events is still being developed, but I am especially looking forward to the Dutch events and the side-event of the Taiwan Youth-Led WHA Delegation, where I have the opportunity to share my experiences with youth participation as a speaker.
- What is your role as a youth delegate?
- Why is it important for you to be present at the WHA?
- Why is it important for young people to have a voice in such international forums?
- What message would you like to convey there?
As a Youth Delegate, I formally represent myself as a Dutch young person at the WHA, but with the responsibility to make broader youth voices heard.
From my perspective as a future healthcare professional, I bring concerns, experiences, and ideas to the attention of decision-makers. At the same time, I try to connect other young people — students, young doctors, aspiring policymakers — to policies that directly impact their health.
It is crucial that young people are not only present but actively participate on the platforms where decisions are made. The decisions taken here will shape how we and our patients experience health in the future — a future in which we will live, work, care, and receive care ourselves.
Young people view the world with creativity, urgency, and solidarity. You can see this in how students around the world mobilize for climate action, against the housing crisis, and for the safety and protection of hospitals, patients, and healthcare workers. It shows that young people understand the interconnectedness between health and broader societal structures. Climate, living environment, and humanitarian protection are not side issues but structural determinants of health.
That is why youth participation makes policy not only more equitable, fair, and inclusive but also future-proof.
My message is clear: young people are not bystanders, but partners. And our voices deserve not only space but real influence.
- What personally motivates you?
- What are you looking forward to?
- What impact do you hope to make?
I am excited about the experience in and around the WHA: attending official statements, participating in side-events, and especially meeting others who are committed to health equity — people who inspire, ask critical questions, and take action.
Bringing together youth delegates from around the world, each with their own stories and motivations, gives me a lot of energy. After the WHA, I look forward to bringing back insights, connections, and inspiration to the Netherlands. I hope to involve more young people in global health policy issues and to show that their voices and perspectives truly matter.
After my term as Youth Delegate, I aspire to continue advocating for a broader, more just vision of health — one centered on solidarity, structural change, and civic engagement.
What keeps motivating me is the belief that healthcare professionals are not only caregivers within the walls of a consultation room but also have a role in society and governance as advocates for social justice in health.
Initiatives like ArtsenvoorGaza (hospital, healthcare worker, and patient protection), DoktersVandaag (combating medical misinformation), and Klimaatdokter (climate and health) demonstrate how students and healthcare professionals are already actively working towards a healthier, fairer world — across generations and across borders.