GENEVA, MAY 16-25, 2005
May 30, 2005
IPA was represented at the 58th World Health Assembly by President Adenike Grange, President-elect Chok-wan Chan, Treasurer Sergio Cabral, Coordinator Sverre Lie, and Executive Director, Jane Schaller
The meeting, which is essentially a mini-United Nations for Health, was attended by delegations from 192 listed Member States, 5 observer states and 3 observer organizations, 33 United Nations or related international agencies, 15 intergovernmental organizations, and 132 non-governmental organizations.
A briefing for non-governmental organizations on the first day covered topics including disability, harmful use of alcohol, anti-microbial resistance, the draft global immunization strategy, and social health insurance.
The World Health Assembly itself opened with a plenary session which conducted business including elections, nominations, adoption of the agenda, and reports from the Executive Board of its two sessions during the last year.
Plenary addresses were given by Dr. Lee, Director General of WHO, Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of the Republic of Maldives, and Bill Gates of the Gates Foundation.
The main business of the Assembly was then conducted in Committees A and B.
Committee A considered program budgets and a number of so-called technical and health matters which included:
- International health regulations
- Achievement of health-related millennium goals
- Health action in relation to crisis and disaster
- Sustainable financing for tuberculosis prevention and control
- Malaria
- Smallpox
- Poliomyelitis
- Draft global immunization strategy
- Strengthening pandemic influenza preparedness and response
- Anti-microbial resistance: a threat to global health security
- Infant and young child nutrition
- Cancer prevention and control
- Disability, including prevention, management, and rehabilitation
- Public health problems caused by harmful use of alcohol
- International plan of action on aging
- Social health insurance
- eHealth
- Ministerial summit on health research
- Implementation of resolutions in progress
- Scaling up treatment and care within a coordinated and comprehensive response to HIV/AIDs
- International migration of health personnel
Committee B considered predominately business matters:
- • Health conditions and assistance to Arab populations in the occupied Arab territories including Palestine
- Financial matters
- Real estate fund
- Various staffing matters
- Establishment of world blood donor day
- Implementation of multi lingualism
- Collaboration within the UN system and with other intergovernmental organization
This was an extremely full agenda: Reports and documents of the World Health Assembly are available on the WHO web site (www.who.org).
Most of the items discussed were of interest to IPA. IPA had three intervention statements accepted and they are attached to this report:
- • Chok-wan Chan delivered an intervention concerning child health in humanitarian emergency.
- Adenike Grange delivered an intervention related to the Global Immunization and Vaccine Strategy.
- A third intervention on the Millennium Development Goals could not be presented orally as the item was delayed until the very end of the meeting, clashing with the start of our meeting on Child Health in Humanitarian Emergency.
Several discussion items were of particular interest to IPA:
- The resolution adopted on Infant and Young Child Nutrition is worthy of note in view of our new IPA ethics statement. This document (number EB115.R12) can be found on the WHO web site. The resolution expresses concern about powdered formulas which have been contaminated with bacteria, and seeks to ensure that the Codex Alimentarius Commission will give full consideration to this matter. The Resolution again endorses exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life as a global public health recommendation, with provision for continued (but not exclusive) breastfeeding up to two years of age or beyond. The fourth clause of the Resolution urges Member states to "ensure that financial support for professionals working in infant and young child health does not create conflict of interest." We of IPA will need to interpret this statement for our own use in view of our own ethics: What is a conflict of interest?.
- Discussions of health in crises and disasters were also of particular interest to IPA. Immediately following the close of the World Health Assembly on May 25, IPA had a special meeting with David Nabarro, the head of Health Action in Crisis at WHO, representatives of other WHO divisions concerned with Child Health in Emergency including Elizabeth Mason from Child and Adolescent Health and Moira Connolly from Communicable Disease, senior representatives of the UNICEF Emergency Division, a senior representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and a senior representative of the Institute of Migration. Stay tuned!
- The new Global Statement on Vaccines and Immunization came from the WHO SAGE Committee and UNICEF. A report on a meeting attended by Jane Schaller finalizing this document was sent out to you previously.
- The discussion of the Millennium Development goals included a strong recommendation for pushing the achievement of the goals related to maternal and child health.
The World Health Assembly was adjourned on Wednesday the 25th of May.
Recommendations for IPA:
- It is valuable to have official IPA representation at the World Health Assembly. This provides an invaluable opportunity to meet Ministers of Health, funders, and major players in global health.
- IPA should try to have a designated representative at all of the upcoming regional WHO meetings. The regional meetings are:
- Africa: Mozambique, 22-26 August
- Southeast Asia: Sri Lanka 6-10 September
- Europe: Bucharest 12-15 September
- Western Pacific: Noumea, 19-23 September
- Eastern Mediterranean: Cairo 24-27 September
- The Americas (PAHO), Washington, D.C. 26-30 September
- Some funding for representation of IPA at WHO meetings should be discussed.
- IPA representatives officially attending any WHO meeting must be well briefed and prepared to emphasize IPA policies and interests.
- IPA is working with both Child and Adolescent Health and with Health Action in Crisis to forge formal working structures. Stay tuned.
Jane Schaller
Executive Director