LAUSR

Correspondence to Parnian Khorsand; pkhorsand5@ gmail. com © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Reuse permitted under CC BYNC. No commercial reuse. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. Prior to the pandemic, inperson international conferences and meetings held a fundamental role in intergovernmental and multistakeholder decisionmaking, advocacy and networking within the global health landscape, but COVID19 forced borders to close, and for diplomacy and decisionmaking to thus take place virtually. This switch to virtual environments has enabled broader access to diverse voices not typically represented at the conference table, reduced cost barriers and visa requirements, and exemplified the efficiency and effectiveness of virtual meetings. One of the most central global health meetings within the field is the World Health Assembly (WHA); the decisionmaking body of the WHO, at which a majority of the global health policies are agreed on and set. The annual WHA enables Member States, nongovernmental organisations and various other nonstate actors to convene for the purpose of taking formal decisions on the core values, goals and programmes of WHO’s work going forward. In the year 2020, WHA took place largely virtually, and in 2021, a hybrid model was implemented, raising an important question: if it is possible for the world to coordinate global health efforts virtually, is it necessary to return to the ‘prepandemic status quo’ volume of financially and environmentally costly business and travel for global health decisionmaking to be successful? Even though a significant portion of the Global South continues to face inequitable access to and the ability to safely deliver COVID19 vaccines, inperson meetings are reconvening. With the rampant disparity in vaccination rates across the world (with 79% of people in the USA and Canada being at least partially vaccinated, but only 21% in the African continent being partially vaccinated including countries with 0.1% vaccination of their population—as of 6 May 2022), resuming prepandemic travel patterns may further exclude already underrepresented populations and further extend such inequity. Compounding to the global vaccine inequities, individuals who are not fully vaccinated or those who have not received vaccines authorised in Switzerland (ie, Moderna, Pfizer/ BionTech or Janssen) may be unable to travel into the country. Therefore, it is imperative to reevaluate the significance, necessity and accessibility of travel for global health governance; especially when decisions are made that will largely impact the countries who are unable to be present at the table. Summary box