Recreating malicious strains and techniques described in research publications and write-ups about common malware.
Creating encryption tools
The second thread is found to perform cryptographic combinations of different signing, encryption, and decryption functions.
Creating dark web marketplaces.
As CPR notes, although the examples given in the report are relatively basic, ‘it is only a matter of time until more sophisticated actors enhance the way they use AI-based tools for bad’.
The office is expected to support the Department of State in its work on the policy and diplomatic dimensions of critical and emerging technologies. As such, it will ‘provide a center of expertise and energy to develop and coordinate critical and emerging technology foreign policy, and to engage foreign partners on emerging technologies’ such as biotechnology, advanced computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum information technologies.
China’s regulation on deepfakes will come into force on 10 January 2023. Deepfakes are synthetically generated or altered images or videos built using artificial intelligence. This technology can be used to alter an existing video, for example, by creating realistic fake speech.
Strengthen data management by taking necessary measures for personal data protection according to the existing laws.
Establish guidelines, criteria, and processes for recognising false or damaging information, and devise mechanisms to deal with users who produce false or damaging material using deep synthesis technology.
Periodically review the algorithms used, and conduct security assessments when providing models, templates, and other tools with the editing function of the face, voice, and other biometric information, or objects, scenes, and other non-biometric information that may involve national security, national image, national interests, and public interests.
Twenty-one entities are major artificial intelligence (AI) chip research and development (R&D), manufacturing, and sales entities thought to be or have close ties to government organisations that support the Chinese military and defence industry.
Two entities were added to the list for acquiring or attempting to acquire US-origin items in support of China’s military modernisation.
Seven of the entities engaged in supporting China’s military modernisation were found to have demonstrable direct ties to activities of concern.
Four entities are seen as posing a significant risk of becoming involved in activities that could have a negative impact on the national security or foreign policy of the USA.
One entity was found to engage in or enable activities contrary to US foreign policy interests.
One entity was found to facilitate the illegal export of US-origin electronics to Iran for use in the production of military unmanned aerial vehicles and missile systems.
For two entities, additional restrictions were imposed for having supported, or continued to support, Russia’s military (‘backfilling’) since the imposition of new export controls.
In a second rule issued on the same day, BIS:
Removes 25 Chinese entities from the Unverified List (UVL) due to satisfactory completion of End-Use Checks (EUCs) and verification of those entities’ bona fides, including in cooperation with the Chinese government. This means they are now removed from BIS’ restricted party lists.
Adds 9 Russian entities to the Entity List from the UVL due to the inability to complete EUCs.
Commenting on the two rules, the Chinese government expressed opposition to the addition of the 36 entities to the export controls list, noting that it ‘will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and institutions’. At the same time, it welcomed the removal of the 25 entities from the unverified list.
The third ministerial meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) was held on 5 December 2022 in Washington, DC, USA. During the meeting, the two parties:
Reiterated the importance of cooperating on trust and security in the ICT ecosystem and noted that the TTC Working Group on ICTS security and competitiveness plans to discuss transatlantic subsea cables’ connectivity and security, including alternative routes, such as the transatlantic route to connect Europe, North America and Asia.
Announced plans to launch a pilot project to assess the use of privacy-enhancing technologies and synthetic data in health and medicine.
Announced plans to establish an expert task force to strengthen research and development cooperation on quantum information science, develop common frameworks for assessing technology readiness, discuss intellectual property, and export control-related issues as appropriate, and work together to advance international standards.
Announced progress on increasing standards cooperation, for instance through the Strategic Standards Information mechanism meant to enable the EU and the USA to share information about international standardisation activities and react to common strategic issues.
Announced that the US Department of Commerce and the European Commission are entering into an administrative arrangement to implement an early warning mechanism to address and mitigate semiconductor supply chain disruptions in a cooperative way.
Stressed the importance of eliminating the use of arbitrary and unlawful surveillance to target human rights defenders, and expressed concerns over government-imposed internet shutdowns.
Announced plans to enhance transatlantic trade, for instance through developing joint best practices for the use of digital tools to simplify or reduce the cost of commercial actors’ interactions with the governments in relation to trade-related policy, legal requirements, or regulatory requirements.
Announced the launch of a Talent for Growth Task Force to facilitate exchanges of experiences on training and capacity building and serve as a catalyst for innovative skills policies.
The 2022 Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on prohibitions or restrictions on the use of certain conventional weapons which may be deemed to be excessively injurious or have indiscriminate effects (Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons – CCW) decided that the work of the Group of Governmental Experts related to emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapons system (GGE on LAWS) is to continue in 2023. The Meeting further decided that the Group ‘is to intensify the consideration of proposals and elaborate, by consensus, possible measures, including taking into account the example of existing protocols within the Convention, and other options related to the normative and operational framework on emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapon systems, building upon the recommendations and conclusions of the Group of Governmental Experts related to emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapon systems, and bringing in expertise on legal, military, and technological aspects’.
A coalition of eight civil society organisations has issued a joint statement following the Council of Europe’s Committee on Artificial Intelligence’s (CAI) second meeting (held in September 2022). During the session, members of the committee began the negotiations on the zero draft framework of a Council of Europe’s (CoE) binding convention on artificial intelligence (AI), human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
The signatories expressed their disappointment with what they perceived as the EU’s efforts to delay the process of developing the binding treaty on AI. The statement urged the EU to reconsider its position of, essentially, ‘suspending the participation of the EU states in the CAI process…while the EU sorts out its participation in this matter’, while acknowledging the potential overlap of the CoE Convention and the EU’s draft AI Act.
It should be noted that the session was a closed-door meeting, and that currently the zero draft has yet to be made publicly available.
HealthAI – The Global Agency for Responsible AI in Health, is a Geneva-based, independent nonprofit organisation with the mission of advancing the development and adoption of responsible AI solutions in health through the collaborative implementation of regulatory mechanisms and global standards.
HealthAI envisions a world where artificial intelligence produces equitable and inclusive improvements in health and well-being for all individuals and communities.
As the premier implementing partner to ensure global standards for responsible AI in health are actively applied, HealthAI works through our Global Regulatory Network and the Community of Practice with countries, normative agencies, the private sector, civil society, and other stakeholders to build national and regional regulatory capacity so that countries can actively validate AI technologies, reducing both the risks and long-term costs of AI-enabled health.
HealthAI’s work is rooted in three core principles, namely cultivating trust, catalysing innovation, and centring equity.
AI and other emerging technologies have immense potential to improve health and well-being, but they also bring a unique set of risks and challenges that must be addressed to safeguard individuals and communities from potential harms. Globally, the lack of effective governance increases the risk and hinders the adoption of responsible AI solutions towards better health outcomes. Strong, responsive regulatory mechanisms are required to establish AI systems’ safety and effectiveness and build trust for the long-term acceptability and success of AI-enabled progress in the health sector.
Some countries, mainly those with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) and the most advanced technology sectors, have begun integrating AI regulation into governance structures and national regulations. Most countries have only just begun considering the regulation of AI in general terms and even less so within the context of health. This risks deepening inequity in both access and outcome between early adopter countries and countries that do not have the resources or flexibility to match the pace of technological innovation.
Global efforts addressing the need for AI regulation through the harmonisation of existing standards are critical but require collaborative partners who can support the implementation of the resulting standards and recommendations at a local level. With the new strategy for 2024-2026, HealthAI positions itself as a premier implementing partner for countries, normative agencies, the private sector, and other stakeholders to ensure global standards of responsible AI in health are actively applied in the push towards improved health and well-being outcomes for all in alignment with the SDGs.
As a foundational building block to its mission, HealthAI has established the HealthAI Community of Practice. It is a collaborative platform for multidisciplinary actors to exchange knowledge, share good practices, generate evidence, and strengthen implementation support for regulatory processes and tools for responsible AI solutions in health. We currently have 200+ institutional members, including governments, regulatory agencies, international organisations, healthcare institutions, academia, civil society, and the private sector from 50+ countries.
Digital policy issues
Artificial intelligence
HealthAI’s core outputs
To achieve our mission, HealthAI’s work spans five key areas (Figure 1):
1. Strengthening national and regional validation mechanisms on responsible AI in health:
Establish in-country, government-led regulatory mechanisms by implementing global standards and guidance set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and others at the country level.
Support the implementation of existing auditing tools, and provide guidance on the use of data for AI solutions validation.
2. Establishing a global regulatory network through a member qualification process for knowledge sharing and early warning of adverse events:
Facilitate knowledge sharing to streamline the certification of the same technology and identify AI solutions that require refinement or re-evaluation.
3. Establishing a global early warning system
Rapid notification of adverse events arising from an AI-driven health solution.
4. Creating a global public directory of validated AI solutions for health:
Allow countries to evaluate solution options against local health needs.
Surface unmet health needs as insights and inspiration for technology developers.
5. Delivering advisory support on policies and regulations:
Provide technical guidance and insights into global trends and best practices to help public and private stakeholders develop effective and contextually relevant strategies, policies, and regulations.
Democratise AI for health policy-making through diverse stakeholder and citizen engagement to cultivate trust and improve inclusiveness.
Figure 1 – Responsible AI Solution for Health
The outputs will lead to the following outcomes. Stronger policies, regulations, and institutions will enable the effective governance and validation of AI and other emerging technologies, reducing both the risks and long-term costs of AI-enabled health. In the long term, countries will be able to identify validated AI solutions with greater certainty in their efficacy to meet local health needs, while private sector partners will have clarity about regulatory requirements and a better understanding of AI use in health systems and services.
HealthAI’s Impact
HealthAI contributes to enhanced health and well-being outcomes for all in alignment with the SDGs. HealthAI aims to achieve this by facilitating increased access to safe, high-quality, effective, and equitable AI solutions. This involves ensuring that AI solutions are not only safe to use but also comply with rigorous quality standards, delivering the intended health outcomes or system improvements.
HealthAI commits to providing information on market access authorisation and reimbursement processes while supporting an early warning mechanism to alert countries of adverse events. Through streamlined information sharing between countries and the establishment of a global repository of validated AI solutions, the organisation seeks to propagate the availability of proven responsible AI solutions. Furthermore, HealthAI envisions a positive impact on government revenue from regulatory activities, generating new sources of income for regulatory agencies and government budgets. This financial support is crucial for the sustained funding of regulatory mechanisms and additional investment capacity, ultimately accelerating approval processes across countries and leading to cost savings and bureaucratic streamlining.
Finally,by fostering an ecosystem that ensures compliance with internationally defined responsible AI standards, protects national data sovereignty, and supports local validation processes that enable feedback from civil society, HealthAI’s work will increase trust, investment, and innovation in responsible AI solutions for health.
Definition of Responsible AI
Responsible AI is characterised by AI technologies that align with established standards and ethical principles, prioritising human-centric attributes. In the context of HealthAI, responsible AI is defined as AI solutions that exhibit ethical, inclusive, rights-respecting, and sustainable qualities. These attributes encompass a commitment to protecting and respecting human autonomy, promoting well-being and safety, ensuring technical robustness, safeguarding privacy and data, adhering to laws and ethics, prioritising transparency and explainability, maintaining responsibility and accountability, fostering inclusivity and equity, upholding diversity and non-discrimination, and considering societal and environmental well-being. HealthAI applies these principles across all facets of AI technologies, from technical development and data use to technology implementation and its ultimate impact. This comprehensive definition is drawn from reputable sources, including WHO, the International Development Research Centre’s AI for Global Health Initiative, the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on AI, and pertinent journal publications on the ethics and governance of AI in health.
WMO marks its 75th anniversary in 2025 as a specialised agency of the UN dedicated to international cooperation and coordination on the state and behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the land and oceans, the weather and climate it produces, and the resulting distribution of water resources. It boasts a membership of 193 member states and territories. Weather, climate, and water respect no national boundaries, and so cooperation is key.
National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) work around the clock to provide early and reliable warnings of severe weather. WMO also measures and forecasts air quality and monitors and projects climate change. The overriding priority is to save life and property, protect resources and the environment, and support socioeconomic growth. With this work, WMO supports NMHSs and meets their international commitments in disaster risk reduction, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable development.
Digital activities
Data is in WMO’s DNA. Data is gathered from one of the most diverse data-gathering systems worldwide, consisting of more than 10,000 manned and automatic surface weather stations, national radar networks, ocean observing stations, and weather satellite constellations. Data exchange underpins all WMO core functions from weather forecasting to climate, hydrological, and ocean monitoring. Supercomputers and global telecommunications systems power the ever-growing appetite for data.
WMO also explores the role of new technologies and their relevance for public weather services, including the use of AI approaches. AI complements complex numerical weather prediction algorithms that process vast amounts of data and calculate the behaviour of weather patterns, providing short-term weather forecasts and long-term climate predictions.
Digital policy issues
Artificial intelligence
Impressive technological advances have taken place in relatively short time frames: satellites, big data, IT, and, of course, AI. WMO has evolved accordingly. To better serve society.
WMO recognises the potential power of Artificial Intelligence to revolutionise weather forecasts and early warnings. WMO Members traditionally made weather-related predictions via an observation system such as the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP). That is changing rapidly, and several leading forecasting centres and national meteorological and hydrological services are now using AI forecasting systems to run alongside their traditional physics-based forecasts. The European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting says that its model outperforms physics-based models on many measures, including tropical cyclone tracks, with gains of up to 20% and a reduction of about 1,000 times in energy use when making a forecast.
WMO wants to ensure that, as more Members embrace AI, there is a level playing field and nobody is left behind. AI is now firmly embedded in WMO’s Strategic Plan 2024–2027, and in 2025 it was high on the agenda of both the Executive Council and the World Meteorological Congress Extraordinary Session. Key outcomes included a call to all stakeholders to collaborate on AI and ML environmental monitoring technologies, and the establishment of the Joint Advisory Group on Artificial Intelligence (JAG-AI) to coordinate WMO activities on AI, including the development of ethical and data-integrity guidelines by 2027.
WMO is co-sponsoring the AI Weather Quest, a global competition organised by ECMWF to advance sub-seasonal weather forecasting using AI and machine learning (ML). The AI Weather Quest has been approved as a WIPPS (WMO Integrated Processing and Prediction System) Pilot Project. This initiative aligns with WMO’s mission to foster innovation and collaboration in numerical weather prediction for the benefit of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and end users worldwide.WMO recognises that, even with AI and ML advancements, human expertise remains central to effective Early Warning systems. This is reflected in WMO’s role as a lead partner in the UN Secretary-General’s Early Warnings for All initiative, which aims to ensure universal protection from hazardous weather and climate events through multi-hazard early warning systems by the end of 2027.
Digital standards
WMO maintains one of the most comprehensive standardisation systems with a detailed explanation of each step in the data cycle. WMO guidelines range from issues such as the position or the type of surface (e.g. grass) over which weather observation stations should be placed to uniform and structured standards on data sharing.
Data rescue provides additional benefits, including:
Making agrometeorological, disease vectorisation, and hydrological/climatological numerical models more credible
Enabling better projections of future climate
Allowing current weather and climate to be better placed within historical context
Providing basis to assess historical sensitivities of natural and man-made systems to environmental variability
WMO collaborates with organisations such as the International Environmental Data Rescue Organization (IEDRO) and Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth (ACRE) on data rescue initiatives.
The Unified Data Policy was painstakingly developed through extensive consultation with thousands of experts and other global stakeholders to meet the explosive growth in demand for weather, climate, and water data products and services from all sectors of society.
Approval of the Unified Data Policy provides a comprehensive update of the policies guiding the international exchange of weather, climate, and related Earth system data between the 193 WMO member states and territories. The new policy reaffirms the commitment to the free and unrestricted exchange of data, which has been the bedrock of WMO since it was established more than 70 years ago.
Why has WMO updated its data policy?
Recent decades have seen explosive growth in the demand for weather, climate, and water monitoring and prediction data to support essential services needed by all sectors of society, as they face issues such as climate change, increasing frequency and impact of extreme weather, and implications for food security.
The free and unrestricted exchange of observational data from all parts of the world and of other data products among all WMO members must be updated and strengthened to accommodate this growing demand. As the responsibilities of NMHSs continue to expand, a growing list of application areas beyond the traditional weather, climate, and water activities needs to be supported by WMO observing and data exchange and modelling systems. WMO data policy must evolve to accommodate atmospheric composition, oceans, the cryosphere, and space weather.
What are the benefits of updating the WMO data policy?
The new WMO Unified Data Policy will help the WMO community to strengthen and better sustain monitoring and predicting all Earth-system components, resulting in massive socioeconomic benefits. It will lead to an additional exchange of all types of environmental data, enabling all WMO members to deliver better, more accurate, and timely weather and climate-related services to their constituencies.
In addition to data sharing, the overall importance of data has been further highlighted by the WMO’s Guidelines on Climate Data Rescue, published in 2004. The document tackles why data rescue (i.e. preservation of vast amounts of collected climate data and digitalisation of current and past datasets for easy access) is crucial. It explains that practitioners of data rescue might encounter obstacles such as the high cost of data rescue operations and the lack of digital skills and competencies to use the necessary tools in data preservation. The Guidelines were updated in 2016 to reflect the changes in digital technologies since they were first published. They now outline some of the necessary steps in the data rescue process, such as creating digital inventories and digitising data values.
Over the years, WMO has also engaged in the following data governance developments:
Cooperation on data in scientific circles through cooperation between the International Science Council (ISC) and the WMO World Data Centres and discussion on data at the World Conference on Science.
Cooperation with the International Oceanographic Commission (IOC), whose Resolution 6 specifies that ‘member states shall provide timely, free, and unrestricted access to all data, associated metadata, and products generated under the auspices of IOC programmes’.
Discussion with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on WMO datasets and competition provisions in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).
Cooperation with the Intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO), which was established in 2003 to derive data policies for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems based on the WMO data exchange system.
WMO’s Unified Data Policy can be leveraged for the integration of climate and health information systems. The WMO Information System (WIS.20) is an established platform that can support improved data collection, sharing, and accessibility in climate and health contexts.
Sustainable development
Climate change is an increasingly recognised global threat. But what risks does it pose exactly? And how will climClimate change is an increasingly recognised global threat. But what risks does it pose exactly? And how will climate change and its impacts affect sustainable development? The complexity of the global climate system often contributes to significant gaps between scientific and policy-oriented understandings of how climate-change-related risks cascade through environmental, social, and economic systems.
WMO has addressed these gaps by connecting changes in the global climate system, as measured by the state of the climate indicators, to the SDGs based on extensive data collection. The aim is to improve risk-informed decision-making by aiding policymakers, the scientific community, and the public to grasp the interconnected and complex nature of climate change threats to sustainable development, thereby encouraging more comprehensive and immediate climate action.
Digital technologies have also played an essential role in the advancement of the World Weather Watch, a flagship WMO programme that allows for the development and improvement of global systems for observing and exchanging meteorological observations. The programme has evolved thanks to developments in remote sensing, private internet-type networks, supercomputing systems for data analysis, and weather, climate, and water (environmental) prediction models.
World Weather Watch consists of the following main building blocks:
National Meteorological Services collect data on land, water, and air worldwide. The WMO Information System (WIS) coordinates the data collection and transmission through its national, regional, and global centres.
Regional organisations that act as global hubs include, for example, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).
To produce a successful weather forecast, it is essential to ensure the timely delivery of observational data from as many stations worldwide as possible in the shortest time. What follows is an example of the Global Basic Observing Network (GBON) showing a map of observation stations worldwide.
Digital tools and initiatives
The Global Telecommunication System (GTS), as part of the WIS, carries data from observation stations to national, regional, and global actors. Most of the data is exchanged via the GTS in real time. Given the critical relevance of this data in dealing with crises, the GTS must be highly reliable and secure.
Smart data for evidence-based decision-making
In recent years, WMO has digitised its performance monitoring through the development of strategic and thematic dashboards as well as through the increased use of infographics and story maps, all tools conducive to evidence-based decision-making. In addition to a Key Performance Indicators Dashboard, WMO has launched a Hydro Dashboard, which provides valuable information on operational hydrological services worldwide. It is developing similar thematic dashboards on climate services and global data processing, and forecasting. Internally, WMO has created a centralised data repository that brings together data from various systems, surveys, and sources, providing easy access to reliable data and related data analytics. The data repository is essential to facilitating the flow of objective, evidence-based, timely performance information.
The global website, https://worldweather.wmo.int/en/home.html, serves as a platform presenting official weather observations, forecasts, and climatological information for selected cities worldwide. These data are provided by National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) globally. The website includes links to official weather service websites and tourism boards whenever possible. The information covers 3,458 cities, with forecasts available for 3,307 cities from 139 members, and climatological information for 2,216 cities from 171 members as of September 2023.
The International Cloud Atlas is the official classification system for clouds and meteorological phenomena adopted by all WMO members. This Atlas extends beyond clouds to include hydrometeors, lithometeors, photometeors, and electrometeors. It serves as a universal language for communicating cloud observations, ensuring global consistency in reporting. The Atlas is a valuable training tool for meteorologists, aeronautical and maritime professionals, and is popular among weather enthusiasts and cloud spotters, fostering a shared enthusiasm for observing atmospheric phenomena.
Digital WMO community
WMO established the WMO Community Platform, which consists of several digital tools that allow for cross-analysis and visualisation of information from all WMO member states regarding weather, climate, and water to provide better insights into the work and needs of the community and to contribute to greater participation in good governance. The WMO e-Library is another tool that gathers and maintains different publications, including reports and WMO standards.
Green WMO
WMO has both virtual and in-person events. WMO experts are also working to reduce the impact of global observing systems and other operations on the environment. WMO is among the first UN organisations to do completely paperless sessions (all governance meeting documentation has been digital for many years). We experimented at the latest Executive Council meeting (EC-75) with translating the INF documents (information documents) using AI tools. It may also be relevant to mention that the draft Strategic Plan 2024–2027 has a new strategic objective (SO) targeted at environmental sustainability, including green IT and green meetings.
WHO is a specialised agency of the UN whose role is to direct and coordinate international health.
Founded in 1948, WHO works with countries and partners to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable – so that everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health.
WHO assists countries in coordinating multi-sectoral efforts of governments and partners to attain their health objectives and support their national health policies and strategies.
Digital activities
WHO is harnessing the power of digital technologies and health innovation to accelerate global attainment of health and well-being. It uses digital technology intensively in its development of activities, ranging from building public health infrastructure in developing countries and immunisation to dealing with disease outbreaks.
WHO has strengthened its approach to data by ensuring this strategic asset has two divisions: (1) the Division of Data, Analytics, and Delivery for Impact. This has helped strengthen data governance by promoting sound data principles and accountability mechanisms, as well as ensuring that the necessary policies and tools are in place that can be used by all three levels of the organisation and can be adopted by member states. Digital health and innovation are high on WHO’s agenda; it is recognised for its role in strengthening health systems through the application of digital health technologies for consumers/ people and healthcare providers as part of achieving its vision of health for all. (2) WHO also established the new Department of Digital Health and Innovation in 2019 within its Science Division. Particular attention is paid to promoting global collaboration and advancing the transfer of knowledge on digital health; advancing the implementation of national digital health strategies; strengthening the governance for digital health at the global, regional, and national levels; and advocating for people-centred health systems enabled by digital health.
The Division of Data Analytics and Delivery for Impact and the Department of Digital Health and Innovation work closely together to strengthen links between data and digital issues, as well as data governance efforts. Digital health technologies, standards, and protocols enable health systems to integrate the exchange of health data within the health system. Coupled with data governance, ethics, and public health data standards, digital health and innovation enable the generation of new evidence and knowledge through research and innovation and inform health policy through public health analysis.
Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated WHO’s digital response, collaboration, and innovation in emergencies. Some examples include collaborating to use AI and data science in analysing and delivering information in response to the COVID-19 ‘infodemic’ (i.e. overflow of information, including misinformation, in an acute health event, which prevents people from accessing reliable information about how to protect themselves); promoting cybersecurity in the health system, including hospitals and health facilities; learning from using AI, data science, digital health, and innovation in social science research, disease modelling, and simulations, as well as supporting the epidemiological response to the pandemic; and producing vaccines and preparing for the equitable allocation and distribution of vaccines. To further its digital transformation, WHO established the WHO Academy, offering professional training modules (including AI ethics and cybersecurity), and the WHO Foundation, an independent grant-making organisation that supports innovative health initiatives worldwide.
Digital policy issues
WHO is a leader among Geneva-based international organisations in the use of social media, through its awareness-raising of health-related issues. It has more than 74 million followers on its social media platforms and has received recognition by the Geneva Engage Awards.
The WHO/International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence for Health (WHO/ITU FG-AI4H) works to establish a standardised assessment framework for the evaluation of AI-based methods for health, diagnosis, triage, or treatment decisions.
Data and artificial intelligence
The response to COVID-19 reinforced the centrality of data and AI for the health sector and WHO’s activities. Data and AI policies are covered by the following instruments:
WHO has established the Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN), which allows countries to verify the authenticity of health information using the International Patient Summary (IPS) ISO standard. The GDHCN uses public key infrastructure (PKI) encryption to keep health credentials verifiable and secure across borders. This initiative enables people to carry internationally recognised health credentials for improved travel and healthcare access.
In 2024, WHO partnered with Saudi Arabia to implement a digital health card for Hajj pilgrims, built on WHO Global Digital Health Certification Network’s infrastructure. Over 250,000 pilgrims from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Oman received Hajj health cards as part of a pilot programme. The network now includes over 80 member states that can verify the authenticity of health information between countries.
WHO hosts the Global Initiative on Digital Health and the Global Initiative on AI for Health, a tripartite partnership with ITU and WIPO launched in 2023. The latter works to enable, facilitate, and implement AI in healthcare, with outcomes including benchmarking frameworks for evaluating AI systems, guidance on integrating AI into national digital health strategies, and meetings to align national agencies on safety and oversight for AI-enabled tools.
AI is increasingly prominent in WHO’s governing bodies. Several resolutions adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2025 (WHA78) reference AI-related issues, and WHO Global Strategy on Digital Health (2020–2027) – extended by WHA in 2025 until 2027 – includes provisions on regulating, benchmarking, and certifying AI and digital health medical devices. At the Executive Board meeting in February 2026, an item on harmonisation of regulatory approaches for data, digital health, and AI in the health sector was discussed, reflecting growing Member State requests for WHO leadership in this area.
Digital standards
Integration of Health Information Exchange (HIE): WHO collaborates with health information exchange standardisation bodies and organisations, such as HIE and Health Level Seven International (HL7®), to promote sustainable investment in interoperable digital health technologies and systems. Digital health technologies, standards, and protocols enable health systems to integrate the exchange of health data within the health system. Coupled with data governance, ethics, and public health data standards, digital health and innovation enable the generation of new evidence and knowledge through research and innovation and inform health policy through public health analysis. Promoting Better Integration of Health Information Systems: Best Practices and Challenges (2015).
SMART Guidelines – Digital Adaptation Kits: Implementation Research and Technical Support: Digital adaptation kits (DAKs) are software-neutral, operational, and structured documentation based on WHO clinical, health system, and data use recommendations to systematically inform the design of digital systems. DAKs include the package of business process workflows, core data needs, decision support algorithms, linkages to indicators, and functional requirements for a health domain area, which can then be incorporated more easily in a digital system. In creating these operational tools derived from WHO guidelines, DAKs provide a unique way to reinforce recommendations and ensure adherence to clinical guidelines and standards within digital systems for improved service delivery.
WHO Guideline: Recommendations on Digital Interventions for Health System Strengthening: Recommendations based on a critical evaluation of the evidence on emerging digital health interventions that are contributing to health system improvements, based on an assessment of the benefits, harms, acceptability, feasibility, resource use, and equity considerations.
Since 2018, gaming disorder has been included in WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD). While the negative impacts of online gaming on health are being increasingly addressed by national health policies, it has been recognised by some authorities, such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that some game-based devices could have a therapeutic effect. Given the fast growth of online gaming and its benefits and disadvantages, the implications on health are expected to become more relevant.
The health top-level domain name
Health-related generic top-level domain (gTLD) names, in all languages, including ‘.health’, ‘.doctor’, and ‘.surgery’, should be operated in a way that protects public health and includes the prevention of further development of illicit markets of medicines, medical devices, and unauthorized health products and services. Resolution WHA66.24: eHealth Standardizationand Interoperability (2013).
Net neutrality
The issue of net neutrality (the equal treatment of internet traffic) could affect bandwidth and the stability of digital connections, especially for high-risk activities such as online surgical interventions. Thus, health organisations may be granted exceptional provisions, as the EU has already done, where health and specialised services enjoy exceptions regarding the principle of net neutrality. Resolution WHA66.24: eHealth Standardization and Interoperability (2013).
WHO has dedicated cybersecurity focal points, who work with legal and licensing colleagues to provide frameworks for the organisation to not only protect WHO data from various cyber risks, but also provide technical advice to WHO and member states on the secure collection, storage, and dissemination of data. Health facilities and health data have always been the target of cybercriminals; however, the COVID-19 crisis has brought into sharp focus the cybersecurity aspects of digital health.
Ransomware attacks threaten the proper functioning of hospitals and other healthcare providers. The global Wannacry ransomware attack in May 2017 was the first major attack on hospitals and disrupted a significant part of the UK’s National Health System (NHS). Ransomware attacks on hospitals and health research facilities accelerated during the COVID-19 crisis.
A 2021 global survey found that over one-third of healthcare respondents reported at least one ransomware attack in the preceding year, with one-third of those paying a ransom. Even after payment, 31% did not regain access to their encrypted data. Security researchers identified vulnerabilities in at least 17 biomedical companies involved in COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing and therapeutics development, with additional attacks targeting clinical trial software vendors, laboratories, and pharmaceutical companies.
Considering that data is often the main target of cyberattacks, it should come as no surprise that most cybersecurity concerns regarding healthcare are centred on the protection of data. Encryption is thus crucial for the safety of health data: It both protects data from prying eyes and helps assuage the fears patients and consumers may have about sharing or storing sensitive information through the internet.
WHO’s SCORE technical package (Survey, Count, Optimize, Review, and Enable) identifies data gaps and provides countries with tools to precisely address them. SCORE has been developed in partnership with the Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative. As part of SCORE, WHO completed the first-ever global assessment of health information systems capacity in 133 countries, covering 87% of the world’s population.
The project Strengthening National Nutrition Information Systems operated in five countries in Africa and Asia – Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Laos, Uganda, and Zambia – for a period of four years (2020–2024). Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and national nutrition surveys are the major sources of nutrition data for many countries, but they are complex and expensive undertakings that cannot be implemented with the required frequency. It is, therefore, critical to strengthen or establish integrated nutrition information systems (NIS) of countries to enhance the availability and use of routine nutrition data to better support policy development, programme design and monitoring.
A data-driven delivery approach sharpens WHO’s focus to address gaps, close inequalities, and accelerate progress towards national and regional priorities from WHO regions. The WHO Regional Office for the Americas is working to create open data platforms for evidence-based decisions and policymaking. The Core Indicators Portal provides a dataset of around 200 health indicators for 49 countries across the region from 1995 to 2021. The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean is conducting harmonised health facility assessments and tracking 75 indicators through the Regional Health Observatory (RHO). The WHO Regional Office for Africa has prioritised investments in civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) and digital health. Its integrated African Health Observatory (iAHO) offers high-quality national and regional health data on a single platform and District Health Information Software (DHIS2) is now implemented in all but four African countries. The WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia is focused on promoting health equity through workshops that introduce member states to WHO’s Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (HEAT). High-quality data on health indicators is available on the Health Information Platform (HIP). The WHO Regional Office for Europe is prioritising support for countries’ national health information systems (HIS) through more robust data governance frameworks. Member states also have access to the European Health Information Gateway, a one-stop shop for health information and data visualisation. The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific has released a progress report on each member state’s journey to achieving universal health coverage (UHC). Additionally, the Western Pacific Health Data Platform provides a single destination where countries can easily monitor and compare their progress towards national and global health objectives.
Sustainable development
E-waste
WHO recognises e-waste as a growing global health threat, especially for children and pregnant women exposed to toxic substances in informal recycling. In 2021, WHO released its first global report on e-waste and child health, identifying serious risks from lead, mercury, and other pollutants. WHO’s ongoing E-waste and Child Health Initiative – active in Latin America and Africa – develops frameworks for safer recycling, regulatory compliance, and advocacy to protect vulnerable populations.
Strengthening health information systems for refugee- and migrant-sensitive healthcare
Health information and research findings can provide a platform for understanding and responding to the health needs of refugees and migrants and for aligning the efforts of other sectors and sources of international assistance. However, the systematic national data and evidence comparable across countries and over time available for policy- and decision-making on health of refugees and migrants from around the world are inadequate. The WHO Health and Migration Programme (PHM) supports the strengthening of member-state information systems, providing specialised technical assistance, response, and capacity building.
Human rights principles
Improving access to assistive technology
Assistive technology enables and promotes inclusion and participation, especially of persons with disability, ageing populations, and people with non-communicable diseases. The primary purpose of assistive products is to maintain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence, thereby promoting their well-being. Despite a growing number of people in need of assistive products in every country, only 5%–15%, or one in 10 people has access to assistive products. WHO coordinates the Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE) as a step towards realising the SDGs and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and implementing resolution WHA71.8 on assistive technology. The GATE initiative has the goal to support countries in addressing challenges and improving access to assistive products within their context. To achieve this, the GATE initiative is focusing on five interlinked areas (5Ps): people, policy, products, provision, and personnel.
Content policy
Infodemics
An infodemic is an overflow of information, including misinformation, that prevents people from accessing reliable information and hampers the ability of people to know how to protect themselves in the context of health. Infodemics cannot be eliminated, but can be managed by producing engaging, reliable content and using digital, traditional media, and offline tools to disseminate it; engaging key stakeholder groups in cooperative content creation and dissemination; empowering communities to protect themselves; and promoting community and individual resilience against misinformation. Digital health technologies and data science can support these activities by analysing the information landscape and social dynamics in digital and analogue environments; delivering messages; supporting fact-checking and countering misinformation; promoting digital health, media, and health literacy; and optimising the effectiveness of messages and their delivery through real time monitoring and evaluation (M&E), among others.
WHO-trained infodemic managers, over 1,300 of them from 142 countries, are already making great strides in member states and together around the globe as a global community of practice. In Serbia, the Laboratory for Infodemiology and Infodemic Management has been established at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade. With the support of the WHO Country Office in Serbia, two infodemic managers working at the Institute of Social Medicine have gathered a multidisciplinary team that will be conducting research and supporting infodemic management in the country and the region.
Digital tools and initiatives
Interdisciplinary
Public health challenges are complex and cannot be effectively addressed by one sector alone. A holistic, multisectoral, multidisciplinary approach is needed for addressing gaps and advancing coordination for health emergency preparedness and health security and is essential for the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005.
WHO Classifications and Terminologies: operates a one-stop shop for WHO classifications and terminologies and delivers and scales use of terminologies and classifications. WHO maintains a portfolio of digital tools and methods for emergency preparedness and response, for example:
Go.Data is an outbreak investigation tool for field data collection during public health emergencies. The tool includes functionality for case investigation, contact follow-up, and visualisation of chains of transmission including secure data exchange and is designed for flexibility in the field, to adapt to the wide range of outbreak scenarios. The tool is targeted at any outbreak responder.
Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) is a unique collaboration between various public health stakeholders around the globe. It brings together new and existing initiatives, networks, and systems to create a unified all-hazards, One Health approach to early detection, verification, assessment, and communication of public health threats using publicly available information. Creating a community of practice for public health intelligence (PHI) that includes member states, international organisations, research institutes, and other partners and collaborators is at the heart of the initiative; saving lives through early detection of threats and subsequent intervention is its ultimate goal. Since January 2022, the lead of the EIOS initiative is hosted within the new WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence. As one of the Hub’s flagship initiatives, EIOS is one of the main vehicles for building a strong PHI community of practice, as well as a multidisciplinary network supporting it.
Digital proximity tracking technologies have been identified as a potential tool to support contact tracing in outbreaks and epidemics. However, these technologies raise ethical and privacy concerns. The document Ethical Considerations to Guide the Use of Digital Proximity Tracking Technologies for COVID-19 Contact Tracing – provides policymakers and other stakeholders with guidance as to the ethical and appropriate use of digital proximity tracking technologies for COVID-19.
The new Survey Count Optimize Review Enable (SCORE) for Health Data Technical Package was published during one of the most data-strained public health crisis responses ever – that of the COVID-19 pandemic. SCORE can guide countries to take action by providing a one-stop shop for best technical practices that strengthen health information systems, using universally accepted standards and tools.
WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence supports countries, and regional and global actors in addressing future pandemic and epidemic risks with better access to data, better analytical capacities, and better tools and insights for decision-making.
WHO Health Data Hub (WHDH) is a single repository of health data in WHO and establishes a data governance mechanism for member states.
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) registers all births and deaths, issues birth and death certificates, and compiles and disseminates vital statistics, including cause of death information. It may also record marriages and divorces.
The open-access WHO Snakebite Envenoming Information and Data Platform is already working to shorten the time between a snakebite and receiving antivenom. It does this by mapping the distribution of venomous snakes, known antivenoms, and the proximity to health facilities that stock them.
Public health strategy, planning and monitoring
Global Benchmarking Tool is designed to benchmark the regulatory programmes of a variety of product types, including medicines, vaccines, blood products (including whole blood, blood component and plasma-derived products) and medical devices (including in vitro diagnostics). It is supported by a computerised platform to facilitate the benchmarking, including the calculation of maturity levels. The computerised GBT (cGBT) is available, upon request, to member states and organisations working with WHO under the Coalition of Interested Partners (CIP).
The organisation also integrates digital health interventions in its strategies for certain diseases. WHO’s Global Observatory for e-Health (GOe) aims to assist member states with information and guidance on practices and standards in the field of e-health.
The Health Equity Monitor is a platform for health inequality monitoring, which includes databases of disaggregated data, a handbook on health inequality monitoring, and step-by-step manuals for national health inequality monitoring (generally and specifically for immunisation inequality monitoring).
The Health Assessment Toolkit is a software application that facilitates the assessment of health inequalities in countries. Inequality data can be visualised through a variety of interactive graphs, maps, and tables. Results can be exported and used for priority-setting and policymaking.
Health facilities data
Harmonized Health Facility Assessment (HHFA) is a comprehensive, external review tool for assessing whether health facilities have the appropriate systems in place to deliver services at required standards of quality.
RHIS provides frequent, up-to-date information on service performance at all levels of the health system, enabling regular analysis of progress and timely identification of problems.
Digital health solutions
The Digital Health Atlas is a global registry of implemented digital health solutions. It is open and available to anyone to register and contribute information about digital implementations. The registry provides a consistent way to document digital solutions, and offers functionalities in a web platform to assist technologists, implementers, governments, and donors for inventory, planning, coordinating, and using digital systems for health. The Digital Health Atlas includes a special focus on listing digital technologies related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The repository of information is open to all users to register projects, download project information, and connect with digital health practitioners globally.
Be He@lthy, Be Mobile (BHBM) is helping millions of people quit tobacco, and control diabetes and cervical cancer. It helps people at risk of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and those who care for older people.
WHO has launched a women’s health chatbot with messaging on breast cancer. The new chatbot uses the Viber platform to deliver health information directly to subscribers’ mobile phones. People subscribing to the new chatbot will find information on how to reduce the risk of breast cancer, symptoms, and treatment options.
WHO’s prototype of a digital health promoter, S.A.R.A.H., started off as a chatbot to fight misinformation around COVID-19 and offered information on living healthily during the pandemic. The platform has since been expanded to provide messages for individuals at risk of hypertension and diabetes, offering accessible health information in multiple languages via messaging apps like WhatsApp.
Health-related research
The WHO BioHub System offers a reliable, safe, and transparent mechanism for WHO member states to voluntarily share novel biological materials, without replacing or competing with existing systems. Sharing of biological materials with epidemic or pandemic potential will be done through one (or more) of the laboratories designated as a WHO BioHub Facility. This will allow WHO member states and partners to work in a better and faster way, to advance research, and to be more prepared for health emergencies as well as ensure fairness in access to benefits arising from this sharing.
Resources
Resolutions and deliberations on eHealth
The Global Strategy on Digital Health (2020-2025) aims to support potential, national or regional digital health initiatives with a robust strategy that integrates financial, organisational, human, and technological resources.
Resolution WHA71.7 (2018): The resolution urges member states to prioritise the development and greater use of digital technologies in health as a means of promoting Universal Health Coverage and advancing the SDGs.
Report EB 142/20 (2018): The Executive Board in January 2018 considered the updated report ‘mHealth: Use of appropriate digital technologies for public health’. This updated version of the report also includes the use of other digital technologies for public health.
Report EB139/8 (2016): The Executive Board considered ‘mHealth: Use of mobile wireless technologies for public health’, reflecting the increasing importance of this resource for health services delivery and public health, given their ease of use, broad reach and wide acceptance.
Resolution WHA66.24 (2013): The World Health Assembly recognised the need for health data standardisation to be part of eHealth systems and services, and the importance of proper governance and operation of health-related global top-level Internet domain names, including ‘.health’.
Resolution WHA58.28 (2005): The World Health Assembly in 2005 recognised the potential of eHealth to strengthen health systems and improve quality, safety, and access to care, and encouraged member states to take action to incorporate eHealth into health systems and services.
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