WORLD HEALTH ORGAN I ZATION
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTI!i
REGIONAL OFFICE FOR THE WESTERN PACIFIC BUREAU R~GIONAL DU PACIFIQUE OCCIDENTAL
REGIONAL COMMITTEE Thirteenth SeBsion Manila 20-25 September 1962 Agenda Item 14 r
WP/RC13/5 18 July 1962 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
RESOLUTIONS OF REGIONAL INTEREST ADOPTED BY THE TWENTY-NINTH AND THIRTIETH SESSIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD AND THE FIFTEENTH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY The follOwing resolutions adopted by the Executive Board and the World Health Assembly are subm:~t';cd to the Committee for its information: 1
ADMISSION OF NEvi MEMBERS: WESTERN SAMOA (WHAl5.l6) "The Fifteenth World Health Assembly ADMITS 'iTestern Samoa as a M:!mber of the World Health Organization, subject to the deposit of a formal instrument with the Secretary-General of the United Nations in accordance with Article 79 of the Constitution. II
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CONTINUED ASSISTANCE TO NEWLY INDEPENDENT STATES (WHAl5.22 ) liThe Fifteenth World Health Assembly, Havins studied the report of the Director-General on continued assistance to newly independent states,l including the programme for aSSisting such states in developing national health plans, in acceleratj.n,3 the education and training of their national staff, and the possible provision of operational assistance to such States: Taking into account the discussion of the Executive Board at its twenty-ninth session on this subject; Cognizsnt of the urgent need to develop the health services of newly independent States, which are of such significance for the health of their people and for their socio-economic progress; Realizing further that such development cannot be effective unless it is integrated with the over-all development programme of the se state s,
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/1. ~ocument Al5/P&B/ll
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WP/RC13/5 page 2 1. NOTES with satisfaction the assistance being provided by WHO in developing the health programmes of newly independent States and the emphasis placed in the proposed programme on national health planning and on education and training of national staff; 2. REQUESTS the Director-General to continue to report to the World Health Assembly and the Executive Board on assistance to newly independent States;
3.
DECIDES that assistance to these countries should be accelerated along the lines recommended by the Director-General in his report and, for this purpose, approves the following programme prOvisions and financial arrangements; I
Programme Provisions
4. AUTHORIZES the Director-General to implement an accelerated programme for aSSisting newly independent and emerging States particularly in Africa, concentrating on: (a) national health planning and related training;
(b) expanding and accelerating medical education and training of national staff; (c) providing operational assistance in accordance with the principles set forth in paragraph 6 below; REQUESTS the Director-General to study the question of WHO serving as a co-ordinator in the provision of assistance to newly independent States with a view primarily to assisting them in the basic training and higher education of their national medical staff;
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6.
DECIDES that the principles under which WHO may provide operational assistance shall be as follows: (a) that the role of WHO be one of filling gaps in the maintenance of a minimum slreleton staff essential for tiding over a critical situation in the development of a basic health service and the raising of health services of countries where the services are below standard. Special emphasis should be put on the possibilities of combining this with the efforts to train medical and auxiliary personnel at all levels; (b) that the Organization be satisfied that the countries are mal~ing every effort to achieve self-sufficiency in the shortest possible time in meeting the costs of essential medical and paramedical staff from their own resources; /(c) that such
WP/RC13/5 page 3 (c) that such operational staff shall be placed at the disposal of governments concerned and shall carry out their assigned duties under the administrative control of the government concerned; (d) the responsibility for defraying the costs of such staff shall be established by special agreements between WHO and each recipient government, it being understood that the financial participation of the government may, where necessary, be limited to an agreed contribution;
(e) that WHO operational assistance be provided either (i) by recruiting staff in co-operation with the government concerned or (ii) by a s;y·stem of grants-in-aid for the purpose of ,meeting the urgent needs of operational staff, each grant-in-aid to be governed by the terms of an agreement between WHO and the recipient government under which WHO would retain adequate control commensurable with its financial investment. II Financial Arrangements Recognizing that the current legislation governing the United Nations Special Fund and the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance does not maJre it possible for operational staff to be financed from those sources of funds; Recognizing further that the resources at present available to the Expanded Programme and the Special Fund are lim! ted;
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Recognizing also that financing by the Organization of operational staff as described in paragraph 6 above, even on a limited scale, is not feasible without substantial aid from additional sources,
APPEALS to the General Assembly of the United Nations to arrange that the Expanded Programme, the Special Fund and OPEX be given sufficient resources with such alteration in legislation as may be appropriate so that they can be adequate to finance the health needs defined in Section I; and further, pending the time when resources are available in the Special Fund, OPEX and in the Expanded Programmej 8. AUTHORIZES the establishment of a Special Account for Accelerated Assistance to Newly Independent and Emerging States to be part of the Voluntary Fund for Health Promotion and to be governed by the provisions of resolution WHAl3. 24; DECIDES further that the programmes defined under Section I of this resolution 'IIJJ3,y be financed from any source of funds available to the Organization, provided that the costs in 1963, under the regular budget, for operational staff as described in paragraph 6 above shall not exceed ~700 000; and
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REQUESTS •••
WP/RC13/5 page 4 10. REQUESTS the Director-General and the Executive Board to continue to study methods and forms of providing effective assistance to newly independent States and, in particular, to review the financial aspects of the provision of such assistance, bearing in mind the criteria set forth in Section I of this re solution; 11. REQUESTS the Director-General to bring this resolution together with his report to the attention of Members and Associate Members. "
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SMALLPOX ERADICATION PROGRAMME (WHAl5.53) "The Fifteenth World Health Assembly, Having considered the report of the Director-General on Smallpox Eradication; 1 Noting that the progress made since the Eleventh World Health Assembly in 1958 took the decision to initiate a world-wide eradi.cation programme has been slow; Recognizing that countries in the endemic areas are meeting difficulties in organizing country-wide campaigns due to insufficient funds and health personnel, inadequacy of transport, vaccine and equipment; Reiterating that the persistence of the disease causes a high morbidity and mortality in the endemic areas and exposes the rest of the world to risk from importation of infection, 1.
EMPHASIZES the urgency of achieving eradication;
2. COMMENDS the efforts already made in those countries which are implementing eradication campaigns; 3. URGES the health administrations of those endemic countries which have not already done so to plan and implement country-wide eradication campaigns with stable potent vaCCine, in concert with their neighbours;
4.
INVITES countries able to do so to malre voluntary contributions in cash or in kind of such essential requirements as freeze-dried vaccines, suitable transport and necessary laboratory and coldstorage equipment, for distribution by the Organization to countries in the endemic areas with sound eradication programmes requesting such assistance; and 5. REQUESTS the Director-General: (a) to continue to offer advice and technical guidance to the countries concerned; /(b) to provide •••
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Documents Al5/P&B/18 and Corr.l and 2
WP/RC13/5 page 5 (b) to provide for necessary activities and material assistance in his programme and budget estimates for future years; (c) to prepare with the aid of national governments their requirements and firm estimates of costs for their smallpox eradication programmes; and (d) to report further to the Sixteenth World Health Assembly on the progress of the eradication programme. 11 The attention of the Committee is drawn in particular to paragraphs one to four inclusive of this resolution. The services of the Regional Office are available at all times to assist governments in the tasl~ to achieve eradication in the Western Pacific Region. 4
DEVELOPMENTS IN ACTIV!TIES ASSISTED JOINTLY WITH UNICEF (WHAl5.54) "The Fifteenth World HeEl,lth Assembly, Having considered the report of the Director-General on Developments in ActLrities assisted jointly with UNICEF;l Recognizing the invaluable contribution that UNICEF is making towards the success of the health programmes for mothers and children; 1.
NOTES the Report of the Director-General;
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2. EXPRESSES to the UNICEF Executive Board its appreciation of its decision to maintain the ~)lO million per year ceiling for allocations for malaria programmes; EXPRESSES the hope that in view of the deleterious impact that smallpox has on the health of mothers and children, UNICEF will find it possible to give full support to the smallpox eradication programme being sponsored by the World Health Organization;
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BELIEVES that nutritional problems should always be considered in the context of all other aspects of health which are so intimately related to them; and therefore
5. RECOMMENDS that activities dealing with the medical aspects of nutrition be as fully integrated as possible with other health activities, particularly health education, environmental sanitation and the control of communicable diseases as well as with maternal and child and school health services; and
6.
EXPRESSES its satisfaction with the close and efficient co-operation between the two organizations in assisting countries / in combating •••
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Document Al5/P&B/8
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WP/RC13/5
in combating communicable diseases, promoting higher standards of nutrition and environmental sanitation, the training of national staff as well as in the more specific promotion of maternal and child health. II The attention of the Committee is drawn in particular to paragraphs four and five of this resolution. 5 DECISIONS OF THE UNITED NATIONS, SPECIALIZED AGENCIES AND THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY AFFECTING WHO'S ACTIVITIES: WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WHAl5. 56) r~he
Fifteenth World Health Assembly,
Having considered the report of the Director-General on the World Food Programme;l Recognizing the intimate inter-relationships between the health status and nutrition standards of individuals; Cognizant of the co-operation between the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in the field of nutrition, 1. EXPRESSES its satisfaction with the increasing public consciousness about the problem of hunger in the world; 2. SUPPORTS the initiative taken by the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization in taldng remedial action to solve this problem; 3. CONSIDERS that such a programme should also lead to an intensification of the assistance to promote the health and worldng capacity of the rural populations of developing countries, while raising their nutritional status, income and standards of living generally;
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DRAWS ATTENTION to the role played by endemic diseases in aggravating malnutrition in and sapping the vitality of agricultural communities; and
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5. RECOMME11])S that Member States request, if they deem it appropriate, the assistance of WHO in: (1) carrying out basic nutrition surveys to assess the nutritional status of the population; (2) establishing or strengthening of national nutrition services; (3) the development of food distribution and utilization services, supported by health education and environmental health measures; and
/(4) 1Documents Al5/P&B/13 and Add.1
the education •••
WP/RC13/5 page 7
(4)
the education and training of staff in this field;
and
6. REQUESTS the Director-General to give assistance to requesting Member States to the extent that funds are available for this purpose." The attention of the Committee is drawn in particular to paragraphs five and six of this resolution.
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DECISIONS OF THE UNITED NATIONS, SPECIALIZED AGENCIES AND THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY AFFECTING WHO'S ACTIVITIES: UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT DECADE (WHAl5. 57) "The Fifteenth World Health Assembly, Considering the resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations, A/17l0 (XVI), which designated the current decade as the United Nations Development Decade in which Member States would intensify their efforts to accelerate progress and the growth of the economic and the social advancement; Cognizant of the profound effect health standards of families, communities and nations have on their social advancement and economic progress, particularly in the developing areas of the world; Aware of the benefits accruing to health from the accelerated national programmes for general socio-economic development; Having studied the report of the Director-Generall and, in particular, the health programme for the Development Decade he has forwarded to the Secretary-General of the United Nations at the request of the latter; Taking into account the views expressed by the Executive Board at its twenty-ninth seSSion, EXPRESSES its appreciation to the General Assembly of the United Nations for its decision to establish the Development Decade wi th a view to, inter alia, I accelerating the elimination of illiteracy, hunger and disease, which seriously affect the productivity of the people of the less developed countries'; 1.
2. ENDORSES the Executive Board's recommendation that, in so far as the health aspects of accelerated economic and social development are concerned, governments participate in these programmes, with the assistance of the World Health Organization, if they so wish, by undertaldng a ten-year public health programme with the objectives to raise the standards of the health of the peoples, such as: (1) the preparation of national plans for the development of public health programmes for the Decade, co-ordinating these programmes with other related plans in the social and economic fields; /(2) lDocuments Al5/P&B/13 and Add.2 to concentrate •••
WP/RCl3/5 page 8 (2) to concentrate on the education and training of professional and auxiliary staff for strengthening their health services, with specific measurable targets for expanding each category of staff, depending on predetermined needs for each; (3) to establish as baselines certain indices of their current health situation wherefrom to gauge the degree of realization of certain goals, pre-determined as target figures for the Decade;
(4) to devote increased national resources to the control of disease and the improvement of health; 3. CALLS attention of Member states to the proposals made and the quantitative targets set by the Director-General for a health programme for the Development Decade, as outlined in his report, amplifying the above-listed health objectives;
4. CONSIDERS that, in developing countries, the creation of a network of minimum. basic health services must be regarded as an essential pre-investment operation, without which agricultural and industrial development would be hazardous, slow and uneconomic; 5. REQUESTS the Director-General to circulate his report to Member States, together with this resolution; 6. RECOMMENDS that Member States study the proposals and targets outlined in the Director-General's report and adopt them in their programmes for the Development Decade to the extent that they deem fit, requesting, if necessary, the assistance of the World Health Organization for this purpose; 7. URGES assistance financial, of health, donor countries, which are in a position to provide to developing countries, to increase the level of technical and material assistance provided in the field in order to expedite economic and social progress;
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8. REQUESTS the Director-General to transmit this resolution to the Secretary-General of the United Nations with the request to present it to the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the Technical Assistance Committee and the Governing Council of the Special Fund;
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REQUESTS the Director-General to continue to co-operate with the United Nations and other agencies in the implementation of the United Nations Development Decade. "
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The attention of the Committee is drawn to the fact that the General Assembly of the United Nations has designated the current decade as the United Nations Development Decade in which Member States are invited to intensify their efforts to accelerate progress and the growth of the economic and social advancement. /The vlorld Health
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WP/RC13/5 page 9 The report submitted to the Fifteenth World Health Assembly on this subject has been transmitted to governments by the Director-General. Governments are asked to note, in particular, the action recommended in paragraphs six and seven of this resolution.
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DECENTRALIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS ACTIVITIES (EB30.R23) "The Executive Board, Recalling the Executive Board resolution EB29.R45,1 Having considered the report on Decentralization of the United Nations Activities,2 1.
NOTES the report;
2. CONSIDERS that the Organization should take all possible steps to ensure that the health aspects of national development are taken into account by Member States and by the international sources of assistance available to them; 3. REQUESTS the Director-General to continue to study methods of collaboration with the Regional Economic COmmissions of the United Nations on the lines he has indicated in his report; and 4. REQUESTS the Director-General to report on developments to the Executive Board at its thirty-first session." 8 8.1 MALARIA ERADICATION PROGRAMME Report on Development of Malaria Eradication Programme (WHAl5.l9) "The Fifteenth World Health Assembly, Having considered the report of the Director-General on the development of the malaria eradication programme;3 Noting the satisfactory progress being made, with larse areas in the advanced programmes entering the consolidation phase or approaching the achievement of eradication; Noting further that newly developing countries are embarking on pre-eradication programmes; Recognizing that while it is normally necessary for a malaria eradication programme to be implemented by a specialized service, the active participation of the health service assumes considerable importance as the programme progresses towards its goal, becoming fundamental in the maintenance phase when vigilance against the re-establishment of the infection becomes the responsibility of health services;
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URGES •••
lOff. Rec. Wld IUth Org. 115, 29 2Document EB30/l9 3nocument Al.5/P&J3/2, Parts I and II
WP/RC13/5 page 10
1. URGES governments with malaria eradication programmes in operation to ensure active participation of the health service, particularly in the epidemiological activities; 2. URGES countries which have areas in the consolidation phase and are therefore approaching the maintenance phase, to ensure that the health services are being adequately prepared to assume vigilance responsibilities during this phase; and
3. RECOMMENDS that countries which are embarking upon preeradication programmes, plan the development of their health services with a view to building up a basic infrastructure in the malarious areas to malre possible the implementation of a malaria eradication programme. " The relationship between malaria eradication activities and public health services was reviewed during the Fifteenth World Health Assembly. It was recognized that for a malaria eradication programme to develop successfully, two major requirements should be fulfilled:
(1) the organization of a specialized malaria eradication service with the authority to direct, manage and supervise all related activities; (2) the existence of an adequate public health service, including central, peripheral, urban and rural units. This service should support malaria eradication operations as part of their normal duties.
It was considered that the assistance given by the public health service should gradually increase as the eradication programme advances through the preparatory, attack, consolidation and maintenance phases. This assistance should apply in general to all operations of the malaria eradication programme, but it should be particularly useful in the detection, treatment and follow-up of malaria cases. This is very important since in the maintenance phase it will become the entire responsibility of the public health service to see that malaria is not reintroduced in eradicated areas because by that time the malaria eradication service as such would be disbanded. In countries where necessary conditions do not exist yet for the
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implementation of a full-fledged malaria eradication programme, it is usually recommended that a pre-eradication programme should be launched. One of the major objectives of the pre-eradication programme is to promote and to contribute to the building-up of the public health infrastructure so that the latter may be adequately developed by the time the malaria eradication programme has been implemented.
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Develo ment of Malaria Eradication Pro ramme from Continued Voluntar "The Fifteenth World Health Assembly,
of the
/Bearing in •••
WP/RC13/5 page 11 Bearing in mind that the advances in Imowledge, methodology and techniques of malaria eradication operations now enable WHO to assist in the solution of technical and operational problems of the eradication of this disease in all parts of the world, Recognizing that the rapid undertaking of new malaria eradication programmes, the speeding up of the projects already under way and the accelerated promotion of pre-eradication programmes in Africa are of primary importance for shortening the time needed for total malaria eradication; Having reviewed the report of the Director-Generall on the possible acceleration of the malaria eradication programme; 1.
NOTES the report; 1 and
2. REQUESTS the Direc~or-General to implement the activities outlined in the report in so far as they conform to the accepted principles of assistance by the Organization and to the extent to which financial resources become available in the Malaria Eradication Special Account and suitable staff is forthcoming." 8.3 Malaria Eradication Special Account (WHAl5.34) "The Fifteenth World Health Assembly, Having considered the report of the Director-General on the Malaria Eradication Special Account;2 Bearing in mind the report of the Director-General on acceleration of the malaria eradication pro gramme 1 and the decision thereon in resolution HHAl5.20; Having noted that the contributions received, pledged and expected are sufficient (a) to cover the amount required from the Special Account for the financing of the malaria eradication programme under the transitional arrangements laid down in resolution WHAl4.l5,3 and (b) to begin in 1962 to accelerate the programme by providing additional assistance as envisaged in the report of the DirectorGeneral; 1 Bearing in mind the provisions of resolution WHA8.30,4 1. NarES the report; 2 /2. 1nocument Al5/P&B/19 2Document Al5/AFL/15 3Handbook of Resolutions and Decisions, 6th ed., PI'. 315-316 4Handbook of Resolutions and Decisions, 6th ed., PI'. 24- 2 5 THANKS •••
WP/RC13/5 page 12 2. THA]UCS the governments and other donors who have contributed to the Malaria Eradication $Pecial Account in cash and in kind; 3. REITERATES its conviction that continued voluntary contributions in cash and in Idnd are essential for accelerating the malaria eradication programme; 4. EXPRESSES its confidence that Members who are in a position to do so will contribute to the Malaria Eradication Special Account in order to malre possible a more rapid implementation of the global malaria eradication programme; and 5. REQUESTS the Director-General to continue his efforts as in the past for increasing voluntary contributions to the Malaria Eradication Special Account and to report on this matter regularly to the Health Assembly. " The attention of the Committee is drawn in particular to paragraphs three and four of this resolution. 8.4 nt of Contributions "The Fifteenth World Health Assembly, Having considered the report of the Executive Board on the question concerning the establishment of criteria for determdning which Members carrying out malaria programmes, whose per capita income is low but whose assessments exceed 0.50 per cent., shall be eligible for credits towards the payment of contributions for financing the malaria field operations under the regular budget during the period of transition from 1962 through 1964, DECIDES that the Members to be given credits under the proV1slon of resolution WHAl4.l5,1 paragraph 2 (l)(b), shall be those which have requested credits and which are receiving assistance under the United Nations Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance. II 8.5 Malaria Eradication postage Stamps '~he
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(V~5.47)
Fifteenth World Health Assembly,
Having considered the ~irector-General's report on malaria eradication postage stamps; Noting with satisfaction that the issue of malaria eradication postage stamps is appreciably contributing to increased publicity, in this way creating a better Imowledge and consciousness in the /public in ••• IHandbook of Resolutions and Decisions, 6th ed., pp. 315-316 2Document Al5/AFI/19
., WP/RC13/5 page 13 public in relation to the malaria eradication programme, and will also provide some financial assistance for the malaria eradication programme for the Malaria Eradication Special Account as well as for certain national programmes; Considering the desirability that malaria eradication postage stamps and related philatelic items be issued in sufficient quantities to ensure the wide distribution which is essential for the publicity aspects of this project, 1. NOTES with satisfaction the progress and the arrangements which have been made; 2. EXPRESSES its appreciation to the large number of governments who are participating;
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THANKS those governments who have made donations of stamps and other philatelic material;
4. URGES the governments, which have not yet done so, to issue postage stamps devoted to the malaria eradication programme as a further demonstration of their interest in the world-wide campaign against malaria and of their support of the efforts to participate in 'The World United Against Malaria' campaign; 5. APPEALS to the governments concerned to take the necessary measures to publish and distribute all antimalaria postage stamps and related philatelic items in ample quantities, in the interest of the international character of this philatelic project;
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6. EXPRESSES the hope that governments will find it possible to donate adequate quantities of antimalaria postage stamps and all related philatelic items to the Organization for philatelic sale, thus also helping to increase the confidence of philatelists in the possibility of acquiring antimalaria stamps; 7. REAFFIRMS the arrangements announced that any postage stamps related to malaria issued after 31 December 1962 are not a part of the Organization's malaria eradication postage stamp plan;
CONGRATULATES the Director-C~neral for his continued and successful efforts to carry out the antimalaria postage st8.l'rq) plan in compliance with the ethical standards of such plans. " two The attention of the Committee is drawn in particular to paragraphs to seven inclusive of this resolution.
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