WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANT~
REGIONAL OFFICE FOR
THE WESTERN PACIFIC
BUREAU R~GIONAL DU PACIFIQUE OCCIDENTAL
RF-GIONAL COMMITTEE
TECHNICAL DISCUSSIONS
Seventeenth Session Manila 21-27 September 1966
WPR/RCl7/Tff2
1
July
1966 ENGLISH
ORIGllML:
PROCEDURES AND TF.CHNIQUES FOR THE TECHNICAL DISCUSSIONS
The topic of the Technical Discussions of the seventeenth session of the Regional Committee for the I<lestern Pacific is: liThe Role of the Health Department in Environmental Health Activities. II This subject was selected by the Committee at its sixteenth session. Working papers have been prepared and will be presented in documents WPR/RCl7/TD4, WPR/RCl7/T.D5, and WPR/RC17/T.D6. 1. PROCEDURES
'->--
1.1
Suggested preparation for those who will join the Technical Discussions
....
Each person joining the Tecl1n1cal Discussions will be requested to present a brief (three or five-minute) statement giving examples of some of the environmental health activities in their respective countries. They will also be asked to present t1W or three questions or problems connected with the topic which can be considered for discussion. These statements 1dll be requested at the first group discussion meeting following the first plenary session. 1.2 Leadership for the Technical Discussions
According to resolution HP/RCll.Rli, adopted by the Regional Committee at its eleventh session, the Chairman of the Technical Discussions is selected by the Regional Director in consultation with the Chairman of the Committee. He will chair the plenary sessions of the Technical Discussions. Rapporteurs for the plenary sessions and chairmen and rapporteurs of discussion groups will be selected and briefed by the Technical Discussions Chairman in consultation with the Secretariat.
WPR/RC17/'J!D2 page 2 1.3 Pattern
The procedural pattern for the Technical Discussions this year will include plenary sessions and discussion groups. A programme giving details of the sessions planned is contained in document WPR/RC17/TD1. The plenary sessions will be held in the Conference Hall of the WHO Building. The room assignments for the group discussions will be announced at the first session. 1.4 Reports and presentation
At the conclusion of each period of discussion in plenary and group meetings, the rapporteurs will submit a brief written summary of the deliberations to the Secretary of the Technical Discussions. This summary may include any recommendations that participants would like to have considered during the final session. 2• 'l'F.CHNIQUF'3
2.1
Plenary and panel discussions
This session will open with a presentation by the Technical Discussions Chairman. The meeting will then be handed over to a panel, the members of which will present their views on the subject. These views will reflect problems, or what is being done in Member countries, or describe a campaign by the health department to improve the environment for health purposes. The panel presentation, with questions, should take about fifty minutes. 2.2 Group discussions
After the panel p~~entation; Representatives will be divided into three groups, one of which will be French.speaking. This does not mean, however, that all French.speaking "Representatives will be placed in this group. Those having a knowledge of English may be assigned to another group while English.speaking Representatives with some knowledge of French may be placed in the French-speaking group. F.a.ch group will select a chairman and a rapporteur and will discuss the questions assigned to it. A discussion guide will be prepared and distributed in advance for each question raised. Between the first and second sessions, the chairman and rapporteur of each group will draft a short group report, which will be reproduced in one language only, and distributed within the group concerned. The Chairman of the Technical Discussions and the Technical Discussions steering Committee will discuss these repcrts witp the persons writing them to ensure that they contain no questions or requests for examples, etc., which might generate further discussion and, possibly, differences of opinion in the group discussions during the second session.
'1:"
.
,
'
WPR/RCl.7/TrY2 page 3
In the second session, each group, meeting separately, will revise its report on the basis of the discussion questions assigned to it, if possible, providing examples applicable to countries in various stages of development. At the end of this session, each group should agree on a final report, which will be duplicated in the original language only and distributed among the persons making the report. Copies (in the original language) will be made available on request to other interested participants.
2.3 .)t-
Technical Discussions Steering Committee
In the interest of efficiency and co-ordination, the Chairman of the Technical Discussions will organize a steering committee. This committee will consist of the Chairman and rapporteurs of the plenary sessions, the chairmen and rapporteurs of the discussion groups and members of the Secretariat.
2.4 I
Third session - plenary
~
This session will open with the presentation by each group chairman of the report of his group. After each report, comments will be made presumably by committee members not assigned to that particular group. After all the group reports have been presented and. commented on, the Chairman of the Technical Discussions will outline how he thinks the group reports can be combined into a committee reportj in effect, he will summarize the report verbally for comments by the assembled group.
2.5
Languages
The working languages of the Technical Discussions are the same as those of the Regional Committee, 1. e ., English and. French. 2.6 Recording and final report
The proceedings of both general sessions, together with a summary of the group discussion reports, will be prepared as the final report of the Technical Discussions. The report will be presented by the Chairman of the Technical Discussions to the Regional Committee and. will form an annex to the Committee report •
.. •