Bangladesh to attend Commonwealth ministerial meeting in Geneva on 17 May

Bangladesh will join the 37^th Commonwealth Health Ministers' Meeting (37CHMM) on the sidelines of the 78^th World Health Assembly in Geneva on 17 May.

Director General (DG) of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr Nazmul Hossain will attend the meeting along with high-ups from the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh in Geneva, said a press release.

This will be Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey's first ministerial meeting since taking office on 1 April 2025.

Botchwey will join global health leaders, senior government officials from health ministries across the Commonwealth, and development partners to discuss how the Commonwealth can build momentum around investment to address shocks to health systems in its member countries, representing 2.7 billion people.

This is critical amid recent freezes and deep cuts in global Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), with vulnerable countries now at increased risk, the press release said.

The meeting will be chaired by the Health Minister of Lesotho Selibe Mochoboroane.

Under the theme 'Investing in Health: Sustainable Financing for an Equitable Commonwealth', ministers will develop joint responses to the shared challenge of unlocking new resources to promote health equity while developing stronger, greener, and better-funded health systems for all Commonwealth citizens.

Reflecting on the theme, Secretary-General Botchwey stated, "We know the truth: every investment in health is an investment in people, in productivity, in prosperity, and in the kind of future we want to build."

She added, "The Commonwealth has a proud history of action in health. So let us use this meeting not only to agree on policy, but to commit to action, to secure sustainable financing that protects people, not just budgets; embed climate resilience and social justice in health planning and to expand digital access without leaving anyone behind."