WHO brings 37 countries together in Lisbon to get AI governance right and make it work for every patient

Lisbon, 15 July 2026 

A global high-level conference on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health, co-hosted by WHO/Europe and the Government of Portugal, opens today bringing together Ministers and senior government representatives from 37 countries across all six WHO regions, alongside leaders from the European Commission, World Bank, Wellcome Trust, Aga Khan University and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

The meeting comes as WHO/Europe's own assessment - the most comprehensive ever conducted on AI readiness across the Region - reveals a striking gap between ambition and governance: nearly two-thirds of countries are already deploying AI in diagnostics, yet only 8% have a health-specific AI strategy, and only 8% have liability standards defining who is responsible when an AI system fails. 

The findings echo last week’s preliminary report from the UN Secretary-General's Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, which likewise called for stronger, coordinated governance as AI adoption accelerates ahead of regulatory frameworks. 

“What brings 37 countries to Lisbon is not a shortage of ambition – it’s a shortage of shared direction,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. “Every country in the world is wrestling with the same questions right now: how do we govern AI responsibly, how do we build the health workforce to use it safely, and how do we make sure it serves patients rather than just those who can afford the technology. This gathering is where we find the common ground and where WHO listens to what Member States actually need, agrees where we can add the most value, and commits to stepping up on the things that no single country can solve alone. We leave here with a working agenda, not a communique.”  

Building a shared working agenda: rules, tools, people 

The meeting is anchored in three specific pillars: the rules that govern how AI is regulated and held  accountable, the tools and infrastructure needed to deploy it safely, and the people, the health workforce  and institutions, who will put it into practice. 

Across all three, Ministers and senior officials are working through how WHO could and should support, based on common challenges and requests raised by Member States, so that participants leave Lisbon with a clear, shared sense of priorities rather than a single prescriptive solution. 

Furthermore, a dedicated high-level working meeting among Portuguese-speaking countries - Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cabo Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, and Timor-Leste - is laying the groundwork for a Lusophone cooperation on AI and Health. The session reflects a broader principle at the heart of this conference: no country should have navigate the AI transformation alone. 

“Artificial Intelligence is a historic opportunity to strengthen health systems and improve people's lives,” said Ms Ana Paula Martins, Minister of Health, Portugal. “Its success depends on trust, ethical governance and collaboration. This meeting in Lisbon reaffirms our shared commitment to ensuring that AI serves people and helps build safer, fairer and more resilient health systems.” 

From deployment to governance 

The conference programme opened on 13 and 14 July with a technical workshop bringing together researchers, health professionals and representatives of international organisations to examine the practical opportunities and challenges of AI in health systems. The high-level ministerial and expert sessions on 15 and 16 July build on that foundation, with discussions designed to be relevant to countries at every level of digital development. 

Key themes include governance and strategic leadership, legal and ethical accountability frameworks, data governance and interoperability, workforce preparedness, and responsible AI investment. Particular attention is being given to equity - ensuring that AI in health narrows the gap between well-resourced and under-resourced systems, rather than widening it. 

“Generative AI has already entered the classroom and the patient’s pocket, whether we like it or not,” Dr Kluge added. “People are asking chatbots about their symptoms before ever speaking to a doctor. This is the reason for urgency. Regulating AI in health is hard. But not regulating it is harder - measured in patients harmed, trust lost, and inequalities widened.” 

WHO/Europe will continue to advocate that regulation is necessary, not optional, as AI becomes an integral part of how care is delivered. 

ENDS

Contacts:  

Bhanu Bhatnagar, bbhatnagar@who.int  

Ramy Srour, srourr@who.int