SIXTY-THIRD WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY Agenda item 11.3
WHA63.28 21 May 2010
Establishment of a consultative expert working group on research and development: financing and coordination
The Sixty-third World Health Assembly, Having considered the report on public health, innovation and intellectual property: global strategy and plan of action, and the report of the Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Coordination and Financing;1 Considering resolution WHA61.21 which requests the Director-General “to establish urgently a results-oriented and time-limited expert working group to examine current financing and coordination of research and development, as well as proposals for new and innovative sources of funding to stimulate research and development related to Type II and Type III diseases and the specific research and development needs of developing countries in relation to Type I diseases, and open to consideration of proposals from Member States, and to submit a progress report to the Sixty-second World Health Assembly and the final report to the Sixty-third World Health Assembly through the Executive Board”; Noting that although the Expert Working Group made some progress in examining proposals for financing of, and coordination among, research and development activities, as called for in resolution WHA61.21, there was divergence between the expectations of Member States2 and the output of the Group, underlining the importance of a clear mandate; Considering that, in its recommendations, the Expert Working Group states the need to conduct an in-depth review of the recommended proposals; Recognizing the need to further “explore and, where appropriate, promote a range of incentive schemes for research and development including addressing, where appropriate, the de-linkage of the costs of research and development and the price of health products, for example through the award of
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Documents A63/6 and A63/6 Add.1, respectively. And, where applicable, regional economic integration organizations.
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prizes, with the objective of addressing diseases which disproportionately affect developing countries”;1 Noting previous and ongoing work on innovative financing for health, research and development and the need to build on this work as relevant; Emphasizing the importance of public funding of health research and development and the role of the Member States2 in coordinating, facilitating and promoting health research and development; Reaffirming the importance of other relevant actors in health research and development, 1. URGES Member States:2 (1) to support the work of the Consultative Expert Working Group by: (a) providing, where appropriate, information, submissions or additional proposals;
(b) organizing and/or supporting, where appropriate, regional and sub-regional consultations; (c) 2. proposing names of experts for the roster;
REQUESTS the Director-General: (1) to make available electronically by the end of June 2010: (a) (b) (c) all the proposals considered by the Expert Working Group including their source; the criteria used to assess the proposals; the methodology used by the Expert Working Group;
(d) the list of the stakeholders that were interviewed and those who contributed information; (e) (2) sources of statistics used;
to establish a Consultative Expert Working Group that shall: (a) take forward the work of the Expert Working Group;
(b) deepen the analysis of the proposals in the Expert Working Group’s report, and in particular:
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Resolution WHA61.21, Annex, Element 5, paragraph 5.3a. And, where applicable, regional economic integration organizations.
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(i) examine the practical details of the four innovative sources of financing proposed by the Expert Working Group in its report;1 (ii) review the five promising proposals2 identified by the Expert Working Group in its report; and (iii) further explore the six proposals that did not meet the criteria applied by the Expert Working Group;3 (c) consider additional submissions and proposals from Member States, any regional and subregional consultations, and from other stakeholders; (d) in carrying out the actions in subparagraphs 2(b) and 2(c), examine the appropriateness of different research and development financing approaches and the feasibility of implementation of these approaches in each of the six WHO regions, with subregional analysis, as appropriate; (e) observe scientific integrity and be free from conflict of interest in its work; 4
(3) to provide, upon request, within available resources dedicated to the financing of the Consultative Expert Working Group, technical and financial support for regional consultations, including meetings, in order to seek regional views to help inform the work of the Consultative Expert Working Group; (4) (a) to invite Member States4 to nominate experts whose details, following consultations with regional committees to achieve gender balance and diversity of technical competence and expertise, shall be submitted to the Director-General through the respective regional directors; (b) to establish a roster of experts comprising all the nominations submitted by the regional directors; (c) to propose a composition of the Group to the Executive Board for its approval, drawing on the roster of experts and taking into account regional representation according to the composition of the Executive Board, gender balance and diversity of expertise; (d) upon approval by the Executive Board, to establish the Group and facilitate its work including its consultation with the Member States4 and other relevant stakeholders, where appropriate; (5) to put particular emphasis on the transparent management of potential conflicts of interest by ensuring full compliance with the mechanisms established by the Director-General for that purpose; Report of the Expert Working Group on Research and Development Financing. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2010, Chapter 5.3. Report of the Expert Working Group on Research and Development Financing. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2010, Chapter 5.6. 3 Report of the Expert Working Group on Research and Development Financing. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2010, Annex 2. 4 2 1
And, where applicable, regional economic integration organizations.
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(6) to ensure full transparency for Member States1 by providing the Consultative Expert Working Group’s regular updates on the implementation of its workplan, and by making available all the documentation used by the Consultative Expert Working Group at the conclusion of the process; (7) to submit the workplan and inception report of the Consultative Expert Working Group to the Executive Board at its 129th session and a progress report to the Executive Board at its 130th session with a view to submitting the final report to the Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly. Eighth plenary meeting, 21 May 2010 A63/VR/8
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And, where applicable, regional economic integration organizations.
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