WHA65 Day 1 (21 May, 2012)

Posted Thu, 2012-05-17 11:40

Highlights from the first day of the 65th World Health Assembly

Geneva, Monday 21.05.12

Including

Opening of the 65th WHA and election of President

The morning of the first day of the 65th WHA started by the a statement read out on behalf of Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations. The message noted that health is a main element on the SG agenda, particularly in relation to MDGs. He urged the WHO to work on the elimination of preventable diseases such as malaria, polio, measles and HIV new infections. “Partnership is essential”, he mentioned, when working towards the health objectives he stated.

Following this, the Head of Department of Home Affairs of the Swiss Confederation delivered a welcome speech to the delegates, where he emphasised multisectoral approach to health. He said that this approach was reflected in the composition of delegations coming to the WHA. Non-communicable diseases and global responsibility in health were among the issues he covered in his speech.

The 65th WHA elected by acclamation the Minister of Health of Ivory Coast as President of the Assembly.

Director General’s address and beginning of technical committees’ deliberations

Dr. Margaret Chan delivered her address in the afternoon. She covered a plethora of issues around the theme “Universal Health Coverage” (UHC).

According to her, UHC is the “ultimate expression of fairness”, which removes differences between people, and it should be the philosophy that shapes the work of the WHO as it moves forward. Primary healthcare (PMC) is a major part of this approach, though it is “not cheap”, as she noted. However, she argued against the negative effect of the economic crisis on health saying that recent country experiences do not necessarily comprise costly interventions.

Chan mentioned partnerships and aid in her speech as parts of the solution. “Good aid eliminates aid”, she said.

“We will not let the people down!”, Chan concluded.

Country reports

The theme of, “towards universal coverage” was strong. Countries met with much common ground around their initiatives and the opportunities and challenges that they are facing. The UK stated that universal coverage was, "part of our social solidarity". The major themes included financing, the need for multiple partners to work together on a comprehensive system, the need for technical assistance, and training of human resources. The need for strong health information systems and appropriate and realistic measurement methods was noted.

The need for transparency and frameworks for governance and policy-setting were also discussed. South Africa stated that, “just declarations are inadequate”; action is needed as well. SDH and a sustainable development plan following the conclusion of the MDGs is part of that action.

13.01 Non-communicable diseases (NCDs)

The first substantive agenda item to be discussed during the WHA was agenda item 13.01 Non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

There is an increasing global momentum around NCDs particularly after last year’s High Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on Prevention and Control of NCDs, which was held in New York in September 2011.

The rising prevalence of NCDs in developing countries, because of their relationship with social determinants of health (SDH), is also contributing to this momentum.

The NCDs discussion was marked by noticeable engagement from developing countries and regional groups delegations.

Country interventions emphasised the multisectoral nature of addressing NCDs. Several developing countries associated their high NCD prevalence with vulnerable groups, being lifestyle diseases, referring to fat, salt and alcohol consumption.

One of the key issues raised during the session was the need for developing NCDs indicators which fit individual country contexts and needs, rather than having all countries report using the same indicators, while ensuring adequate consultation in this process.  Member States also raised the need to include other indicators, which range from HPV vaccination to health promotion.

Along the same lines, several Member States noted the importance for having operational mechanisms to be used in the context of NCDs, and requested the WHO to provide them with technical support to help strengthen their health systems, so that they can report on NCD indicators.

Some interventions expressed concerns regarding the partnerships involved in addressing NCDs, highlighting conflict of interest, present in cases of such engagements with food and alcohol industries.

The discussion on this item didn't finish, so the outcomes of the debate will be uploaded in Day 2 Report. 

The final account of this debate will be posted on the Item 13.1 Item Page.

Gender, Equity and Human Rights panel discussion

A side event on Gender, Equity and Human Rights was held.  The panel including representatives of PAHO, WHO, and civil society. Reports on the overarching focus on equity and human rights from each region showed dedication to this mission and leadership from PAHO in "main-streaming" this initiative.

Following the reports, a discussion and comments from the audience included several comments and requests to integrate the human rights and equity focus into existing programs and departments rather than creating another vertical program out of it. This was noted and some strategies were outlined by the panelists. The need for disaggregated data was emphasized by multiple members of the session and was acknowledged by the panel.