News

In a landmark moment for global health, the World Health Assembly (WHA78) has adopted its first ever resolution focused exclusively on kidney health. The resolution, titled “Reducing the burden of noncommunicable diseases through the promotion of kidney health and strengthening prevention and control of kidney disease,” was officially passed on May 23, 2025, marking a major advancement in the global fight against chronic kidney disease (CKD).

CKD currently affects an estimated 850 million people worldwide and is on track to become the fifth leading cause of death by 2040. In Canada, over 4.1 million people are affected, and it is currently the 11^th leading cause of death.

Despite its widespread impact, kidney disease has long been underrepresented in global noncommunicable disease (NCD) frameworks. This new resolution brings CKD into the spotlight, formally integrating it into the World Health Organization’s (WHO) NCD agenda.

Key Provisions of the Resolution

The resolution urges Member States to:

• Increase public awareness of kidney health and related risk factors
• Promote early detection and screening, particularly in primary care settings
• Expand access to life-saving treatments such as dialysis and transplantation
• Strengthen health systems with trained personnel, robust data collection, and sustainable financing
• Integrate CKD into national NCD strategies and universal health coverage efforts

A Turning Point for Kidney Health

The resolution is the result of years of advocacy by the global kidney community—including patients, clinicians, researchers, and kidney health charities.

“The adoption of the WHA resolution on kidney health is a powerful statement supporting the need for the Canadian government to formally recognize chronic kidney disease as a growing public health crisis,” said Elizabeth Myles, Executive Director of The Kidney Foundation of Canada. “Canada must act now by endorsing and investing in a national framework for CKD—one that prioritizes early detection, equitable access to treatment, especially in the earlier stages of CKD, and a strong data collection and research ecosystem. This is a critical moment to align our domestic policies with global health priorities and ensure no Canadian is left behind in the fight against kidney disease.”

By officially recognizing kidney disease within WHO’s global health framework, the WHA resolution opens the door to concrete action to improve kidney health worldwide.