Background
WHO has convened a one-day, high-level hepatitis workshop on 27 April 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, immediately preceding the World Hepatitis Summit. Designed for ministries of health from high-burden, elimination-path and other countries, along with key partners and civil society organizations, the workshop provided a focused platform to translate the latest WHO guidance into practical country action. Participants were among the first to engage with 2 major new global resources – the Global hepatitis report 2026, to be launched during the Summit, and WHO’s new implementation handbook for the consolidated hepatitis B and C guidelines.
Date and times
Monday, 27 April 2026 | 08:45–17:00 (GMT+7)
Venue: Eastin Grand Hotel Phayathai Conference Facilities, Bangkok, Thailand
Objectives and outcomes
The workshop brought partners together – across civil society, communities, country programme managers and policy makers, scientific and implementing partners and donors – through a structured and inclusive partnership group that can strengthen advocacy, build global and regional momentum, and support progress toward elimination.
It provided a platform to highlight country achievements, identify remaining gaps, and explore opportunities to accelerate progress toward viral hepatitis elimination. Sessions highlighted the findings from WHO’s Global hepatitis report 2026, promoted various WHO guidance as well as examined the strategic and operational shifts required in a changing political and financial landscape, with a strong emphasis on real world implementation in primary health care and integrated service settings.
Through a dynamic mix of plenaries, panel discussions, and interactive breakout groups, countries shared experiences, innovations, and lessons learned, and jointly developed priority actions to strengthen national responses.
This preconference event aligned fully with the 2026 Summit theme: “Elimination for Everyone, Everywhere, Right Now!”
Participants
Over 90 participants from more than 25 priority countries, including national programme managers, WHO teams from global, regional and country levels, scientific and implementing partners, civil society and communities participated.