The World Health Organization (WHO) today launched Together for Science and Health, a new global movement uniting more than 240 organizations behind a shared commitment to strengthen trust in science and harness its power to improve health and development.
With an official launch on World Science Day for Peace and Development, the movement rallies scientists, leaders, policy-makers and institutions across sectors, with 12 events taking place across countries and regions to mark the occasion. The launch is also closely associated with the Paris Peace Forum (PPF), one of France's flagship platforms for international diplomacy and multilateral cooperation, reflecting the country's commitment to mobilizing global actors around shared challenges.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and French President Emmanuel Macron are leading the launch. “Science is one of humanity’s most powerful tools, and has always been the engine of better health,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Science has enabled people to live longer, healthier lives through vaccines, medicines, disease prevention and outbreak response. Through the Together for Science and Health Movement, WHO and partners are working together to champion evidence, trust and innovation as the foundations of healthier societies.”
The movement will drive collective action around three priorities: bringing science and society closer together; strengthening the use of evidence in health policy-making; and improving how science is communicated and discussed. Participating organizations will share effective approaches, resources and lessons and build practical collaborations that strengthen trust and help ensure that scientific progress benefits everyone.
Science shapes our health every day, from detecting and preventing diseases to developing new medicines, responding to outbreaks, and improving care. Many of the greatest advances in health have been possible because people, families, and communities have had confidence in scientific evidence and supported its translation into action.
“No institution, country or community can build and sustain trust alone. The Together for Science and Health movement offers a space for dialogue and collaboration, not polarization. Shaping the future of science is the responsibility of everyone,” said Dr Sylvie Briand, WHO Chief Scientist and Assistant Director-General a.i. for Health Systems, Access and Data. “The movement will bring a wide range of stakeholders together around the idea that science is a shared resource that can help us build healthier, fairer and more resilient societies.”
Rapid technological change and artificial intelligence are fast transforming how people access, interpret and share scientific and health information. Together for Science and Health will strengthen connections between science and society, helping people engage with evidence and use it with confidence.
With today’s launch, WHO is inviting organizations and institutions worldwide to join the movement, contribute with their expertise and networks, and help build a future in which trusted science translates into better health for everyone.
About WHO
Dedicated to the well-being of all people and guided by science, WHO leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere, an equal chance at a safe and healthy life. We are the United Nations’ agency for health that connects nations, partners and people in more than 150 locations – leading the world’s response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health issues and expanding access to medicines and health care. Our mission is to support all countries to promote, provide and protect health. “Together for health. Stand with science”, the theme of World Health Day 2026, marks a year-long campaign to highlight science as the foundation for protecting health and well-being worldwide.