World health organization (who)

March 25, 2026

Advancing World Hearing Day Toward United Nations Recognition

Following a year of unprecedented global engagement around WHD 2026, the global hearing health community is channeling that momentum into a bold and strategic next step: securing formal recognition of World Hearing Day (March 3) as an official International Day on the UN Calendar.

Led by the WHF, this initiative reflects more than symbolic recognition, it represents a coordinated effort to elevate ear and hearing care as a global priority across public health, economic development, and human rights.

Why United Nations Recognition Matters

Achieving designation as an official UN International Day would mark a turning point for hearing health advocacy. It would:

• Elevate awareness of hearing loss as a major global health issue
• Combat stigmas surrounding hearing loss
• Strengthen political will and accountability among governments
• Encourage investment in prevention, early detection, and treatment
• Align hearing care with broader global development and equity goals

UN recognition would also unlock new opportunities for collaboration, funding, and global coordination. It would encourage governments to integrate hearing care into national health strategies, while mobilizing international partners, researchers, and advocates to advance progress.

With more than 1.5 billion people worldwide affected by some degree of hearing loss, sustained visibility and coordinated action are essential.

Building on 2026 Momentum

The push for UN recognition builds on the energy and impact of this year’s WHD, which saw coordinated activities across countries, sectors, and disciplines.

Advocacy efforts extended to Capitol Hill, where the ACI Alliance participated in congressional meetings to promote hearing health policy in the United States. Throughout our meetings we highlighted the importance of early detection and intervention, access to hearing technologies, and the need for federal policies that expand access and coverage and reduce barriers to care. These conversations underscored a key theme of WHD 2026: the advancement of hearing health as a clinical issue and policy priority. World Hearing Day 2026 - American Cochlear Implant Alliance

A Global Call to Action

The pathway to UN recognition is clear and it requires a collective effort.

The WHF is calling on partners, professionals, and advocates to engage in the following:

• Reach out to stakeholders and policy makers
• Share the official WHD Booklet
• Submit letters of support
• Encourage government leadership to sponsor or support the initiative
• Sign and promote the global petition
• Amplify the message across networks and social media

Lasting Impact

Designating WHD as an official International Day goes beyond recognition; it is about lasting impact and ensuring that hearing health is no longer overlooked in global health and development conversations.

By aligning global ambition with national action, the hearing community can help secure a future where hearing care is recognized, prioritized, and accessible to all.

Together, though coordinated advocacy and shared commitment, the hearing health community has a unique opportunity to advance hearing equity worldwide. Now is the moment to act and to ensure that hearing health is heard on the global stage. World Hearing Day on Capitol Hill - American Cochlear Implant Alliance

July 22, 2024

ACI Alliance was proud to participate in World Hearing Day 2024 in March. World Hearing Day is an important day to raise awareness around the world about hearing loss, its impacts, and ways to address it. 

June 14, 2024

ACI Alliance Submits Comments to WHO

ACI Alliance was pleased to submit the following comments the World Health Organization on the connection between mental health and unaided or underaided hearing loss. 

December 4, 2023

The World Hearing Forum hosted a hybrid in-person and virtual meeting for stakeholders and members in Geneva, Switzerland November 27-29. As a member of the World Hearing Forum, ACI Alliance was pleased to attend and participate virtually to discuss important topics on hearing health care, World Hearing Day, and related topics.
 
The three day meeting was attended by individuals representing organizations around the globe and included breakout sessions on various topics. On the third day, Forum members discussed organizational issues related to the World Hearing Forum and priorities moving ahead. Discussions included global societal perceptions of hearing loss, the campaign actions for World Hearing Day, and brainstorming on how to better integrate hearing healthcare into primary care across the lifespan. 
 
After the initial launch of the World Hearing Forum in December 2019 attended in person by ACI Alliance Executive Director Donna Sorkin, we have continued to participate and contribute.  We look forward to our continued involvement in the World Hearing Forum and the important work ahead to expand access to hearing health globally.

April 21, 2023

ACI Alliance is proud to continue our membership with The World Hearing Forum. Since joining in late 2019, we have worked to support and share the efforts of the World Hearing Forum and its partner organizations in raising awareness about hearing loss and working to increase access to hearing healthcare.

December 2, 2022

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released the Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities, highlighting the barriers persons with disabilities face in achieving an equitable standard of health across the globe.

The report shows that despite some recent progress there are still many inequities and poor health outcomes are often the result of unfair conditions faced by persons with disabilities in all facets of life, including in the health system itself.

The 312-page report includes 40 targeted actions countries can take to strengthen their healthcare systems and reduce inequities. The recommendations are based on already existing government functions and systems to make the recommendations easier to implement. This includes building awareness of health care inequities into primary care rather than looking at caring for persons with disabilities as specialty care.  

ACI Alliance is proud to continue to partner with WHO in raising awareness about healthcare for those with disabilities. In our own awareness work, we echo many of the themes of this report, including the use of hearing technology to help those with hearing loss participate equally in different groups and professional and social settings, and highlighting the ways those with disabilities can help elevate issues. Stories in the report and our own stories of patients with hearing loss also show the power of people sharing their experiences and advocating for better solutions for all.

The full report can be downloaded on the WHO website.

September 8, 2021

ACI Alliance continues its support of the World Hearing Forum (WHF). We recently participated in WHF member update call. This update included information on how the World Report on Hearing was distributed earlier this year, and what actions member organizations may take to spread the message of hearing care for all. Members also discussed a soon to be released Hearing Screening Handbook to promote hearing screenings for infants, older children and adults. ACI Alliance will continue to be involved in promoting screening efforts through advocacy and outreach. We look forward to using the Hearing Screening Handbook as a new tool in those efforts.

April 19, 2021

ACI Alliance participated as a partner organization in World Hearing Day 2021. Find the certificate here and download the World Report on hearing here.

December 2019

ACI Alliance Joins World Health Forum

The World Hearing Forum is an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO). It envisions a world in which no person experiences hearing loss due to preventable causes and those with hearing loss can achieve their full potential through rehabilitation, education and empowerment.

In 2017, the WHO adopted a World Health Assembly resolution (WHA70.13) that encourages all countries to include ear and hearing care within their national health systems. The WHO was asked to produce the first-ever World Report on Hearing to provide governments with a comprehensive resource grounded in evidence to help achieve the goals detailed in the resolution.

The WHO founded the World Hearing Forum (WHF) in 2018 to support the resolution. The WHF is a diverse body of government and non-government organizations, professional societies, parent groups, academic institutions, and other ear and hearing care stakeholders.

The goal of the Forum is to facilitate the implementation of the WHA70.13 resolution and support WHO’s advocacy actions in the field of hearing. Objectives are to undertake advocacy efforts for galvanizing support and raise awareness for ear and hearing care and to promote networking for knowledge sharing.

In December 2019, ACI Alliance Executive Director Donna Sorkin joined representatives of organizations from around the world to participate in the first World Hearing Forum at WHO headquarters in Geneva. We are honored to participate in the process of developing a report to expand the focus on hearing health around the world.

The World Report on Hearing will be released on March 3, 2021, which is World Hearing Day. The World Hearing Day 2021 and the World Report on Hearing represent a global call for action to address hearing loss and ear diseases across the life course.