WHO’s draft global strategy: a shared agenda for equitable transplantation
The World Health Organization has opened the first draft global strategy on the donation and transplantation of human cells, tissues and organs for public review. Stakeholders can submit feedback until 31 August 2026 through the official WHO process.
The consultation matters because transplantation remains highly unequal. For many patients, access depends on where they live, whether their health system can identify and refer them, and whether the necessary donation, processing, allocation and clinical services exist. The draft seeks to give Member States and partners a shared direction for addressing these gaps.
From a resolution to a global strategy
The work follows World Health Assembly resolution WHA77.4, adopted in 2024, which called for stronger availability, ethical access and oversight across human cell, tissue and organ transplantation. WHO developed the draft through literature review, consultation with relevant organisations and collaborating centres, and input from expert advisory groups.
The timeline has also evolved. The strategy is now expected to be submitted for consideration by the 80th World Health Assembly in 2027, through the WHO Executive Board at its 160th session. The current review is therefore a practical opportunity to improve the document before it enters the final intergovernmental process.
Three objectives and six strategic directions
The draft is organised around three broad objectives: increasing availability and access; strengthening ethical, legislative, policy and regulatory frameworks; and improving the quality, safety and effectiveness of transplantation outcomes.
The proposed strategic directions cover governance, access to transplantation, national donation programmes, cell and tissue processing, international access and cooperation, and investment in technology, research and innovation. This breadth is important. A transplant service cannot be strengthened by focusing on surgery alone. It depends on the wider health system, from donor identification and family care to laboratories, tissue establishments, data systems, financing and long-term recipient follow-up.
What useful consultation feedback can add
The strongest feedback will test feasibility across different settings. It can identify where responsibilities are unclear, where proposed actions require more realistic sequencing, and how progress should be measured. It can also ensure that tissues and cells receive adequate attention alongside solid organs, particularly in relation to processing capacity, vigilance, quality systems and sustainable regional models.
Workforce development deserves particular attention. Countries cannot implement legal frameworks, clinical pathways or quality systems without professionals who understand them and can adapt them locally. Capacity-building should therefore be treated as an operational investment, not as a final educational activity added after a programme has been designed.
Why the DTI community should engage
DTI Foundation encourages policy-makers, regulators, clinicians, tissue and cell professionals, researchers, patient representatives, scientific societies and international partners to review the draft. Contributions from countries at different stages of development are essential if the strategy is to be both ambitious and usable.
DTI’s International Master in Donation and Transplantation of Organs, Tissues and Cells offers a cross-disciplinary pathway for professionals who need to connect clinical practice with organisation, quality, ethics and system development. That same integrated perspective will be critical to turning a global strategy into national and institutional action.
Related learning: Explore the International Master
Sources
WHO: Invitation to public review
