WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION EXECUTIVE BOARD 117th Session Provisional agenda item 4.3 EB117/10 1 December 2005
International trade and health: draft resolution Report by the Secretariat 1. The expansion of international trade and the growing importance of multi- and bilateral trade agreements present a wide range of opportunities and challenges for public health. WHO works with FAO, UNCTAD, WTO, the World Bank, and other organizations to develop the knowledge base, and to provide technical support, tools and training, and advice to Member States in aligning their trade and health policies. 2. At its 116th session, the Executive Board examined a report on international trade and health which reviewed developments and described WHO’s work in trade and health.1 It then considered a draft resolution proposed by Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Iraq, Jamaica, Kenya, Nepal, Sudan, Thailand, Tonga and Viet Nam, which addressed the need to promote a constructive dialogue at national level and to base policies on sound evidence, so that countries could maximize the positive effects of trade liberalization and minimize its negative impact.2 3. Amendments to this resolution were proposed by the representatives of Australia, Bhutan, Canada, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Kenya, Iraq, Jamaica, Lesotho, Liberia, Namibia, Pakistan and Thailand. The Board agreed to take up consideration of the draft resolution and the proposed amendments at its 117th session.
ACTION BY THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 4. The Executive Board is invited to consider the following draft resolution, in which the proposed insertions appear in boldface and alternative text appears in boldface within square brackets: The Executive Board, Having considered the report on international trade and health,1 RECOMMENDS to the Fifty-ninth World Health Assembly the adoption of the following resolution:
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Document EB116/4. See document EB116/2005/REC/1, summary record of the second and third meetings.
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The Fifty-ninth World Health Assembly, Having considered the report on international trade and health; Recalling resolutions WHA57.14 and WHA57.19; WHA52.19, WHA53.14, WHA56.23, WHA56.27,
Recognizing the demand for information about the possible implications of international trade and trade agreements for health and health policy at national, regional and global levels; Mindful of the need for ministers of health and their colleagues in ministries of trade, commerce and [,] finance and foreign affairs [ministers responsible for health, trade, commerce, finance and foreign affairs] to work together constructively in order to ensure that the interests of trade and of health are appropriately balanced, 1. URGES [INVITES] Member States: (1) to promote dialogue at national level to consider the interplay between international trade and health; (2) to establish national coordination mechanisms involving ministries of finance, health, and trade, as well as other relevant institutions, to address public health-related aspects of international trade; [2. URGES Member States:] (2)[(1)] to adopt [consider adopting] policies, laws and regulations that address issues identified in that dialogue and take advantage of the potential opportunities, and mitigate the potential risks [impacts] that trade and trade agreements may have for health; (3)[(2)] to create constructive and interactive relationships across the public and private sectors for the purpose of generating coherence in their trade and health policies; (4)[(3)] to continue to develop capacity at national level to track and analyse the potential opportunities and risks [analyse the implications] of trade and trade agreements for health-sector performance and health outcomes; 2.[3.] REQUESTS the Director-General: (1) to provide support to Member States, at their request and in collaboration with the competent international organizations, to frame coherent trade and health policies [trade-related health policies]; (2) to respond to Member States’ requests for support of their efforts to build the capacity to understand the implications of international trade and trade agreements for health and to address relevant issues through policies and legislation that take
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advantage of the potential opportunities, and mitigate the potential risks, that trade and trade agreements may have for health; [(1) to provide support to Member States, at their request and in collaboration with the competent international organizations, to frame coherent trade and health policies and support their efforts to build the capacity to understand the implications of international trade and trade agreements for health and to address relevant issues through policies and legislation that take full advantage of the potential opportunities, and address the implications, that trade and trade agreements may have for health;] (3)[(2)] to continue collaborating with the competent international organizations in order to support policy coherence between trade and health sectors at regional and global levels, and to foster [including] the development of a global evidence base [-based approach] on the effects of international trade and trade agreements on health and health policy; (4)[(3)] to report through the Executive Board to the Sixty-first World Health Assembly on progress made in implementing this resolution.
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