Sixty-third World Health Assembly closes after passing multiple resolutions
WHO
21 MAY 2010 | GENEVA — The Sixty-third World Health Assembly, which brought together Health Ministers and senior health officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) Member States, concluded business and closed Friday evening.
“You reached agreement on some items that are a real gift to public health, everywhere. Thanks to some all-night efforts, we now have a code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel,” said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. The delegates adopted resolutions on a variety of global health issues including:
Monitoring of the achievement of the health-related Millennium Development Goals
The resolution expresses concern at the relatively slow progress in attaining the Millennium Development Goals, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and at the fact that maternal, newborn and child health as well as universal access to reproductive health services remain constrained by health inequities. Member States noted that MDGs 4 and 5 were lagging behind and agreed to strengthen national health systems as well as take into account health equity in all national policies. They also reaffirmed the value of primary health care and renewed their commitment to prevent and eliminate maternal, newborn and child mortality and morbidity.
Parliamentarians at Women Deliver 2010 Commit to Turning Dialogue Into Action
Women waiting outside clinic. Photo: IRIN/Aubrey
Next to Ministers and First Ladies, health experts, UN representatives, advocates and youth representatives, this year’s Women Deliver Conference that was held in Washington, D.C. from 7-9 June 2010 also hosted a Parliamentarians’ Forum for the first time which brought together more than 50 Parliamentarians.
“The biggest enemy of women’s health and rights is political indifference”, Jill Sheffield, President of Women Deliver remarked during the opening plenary session.
Ms. Safiye Çağar, Director IERD, UNFPA highlighted the important role Parliamentarians have in achieving maternal health and universal access to reproductive health until 2015. “You are responsible for listening to your constituents, to represent them adequately and to act as legislators”, Ms Çağar emphasised. Mr. Bert Koenders, former Minister for Development Co-operation of the Netherlands said that the role of Parliamentarians is underestimated. “Politicians need to break the silence that still surrounds MDG 5 and sexual and reproductive health and rights”, Koenders remarked.
The Parliamentarians’ Forum culminated in a Parliamentarians’ Statement. Amongst others, Parliamentarians called for additional US $12 billion a year to be invested in women and girls and to actively work towards the establishment of a global funding mechanism for family planning, mothers and children with other international donors. The statement urges Ministers to establish realistic and verifiable annual action plans for reaching individual MDG targets with a special emphasis on MDG 5 to be presented at the UN High Level Meeting on the MDGs and commit to take a leading role in communicating the societal, economic, political and cultural benefits of investing in women and girls to key stakeholders. Parliamentarians were united in the necessity to pressure governments to deliver for women and girls, the need to reduce barriers for access to quality family planning services and the centrality this plays for the status of women in society as well as the need to improve co-operation between countries and continents.
Time is running out to meet the Health MDGs
BRUSSELS, 07/04/10: On World Health Day 2010, a new report from Action for Global Health urges EU leaders to commit 0.1% of GNI to ensure universal access to healthcare for people in developing countries.
The report ‘2010 Reality Check: Time is Running Out to Meet the Health Millennium Development Goals’ urges European leaders to focus on 3 issues which can break the cycle of poverty and ill health in developing countries.
“Time is running out but EU leaders can still make a difference. They must recognise the importance of health for development and come forward with the necessary money”, said Marielle Hart, Stop Aids Alliance.
In September, world leaders will meet for the UN MDG Review Summit - a check-up for the 8 Millennium Development Goals they committed to ten years ago. With only 5 years left to go until the MDGs deadline of 2015, the signs are worrying at best.
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