SIXTY-SEVENTH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY Agenda item 14.1
WHA67.14 24 May 2014
Health in the post-2015 development agenda The Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly, Having considered the report on monitoring the achievement of the health-related Millennium Development Goals: Health in the post-2015 development agenda;1 Reaffirming the Constitution of the World Health Organization, which states that the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social conditions; Reaffirming also the principles of the United Nations Millennium Declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in resolution 55/2, including human dignity, equality and equity, and stressing the need for their reflection in the post-2015 development agenda; Recalling the United Nations General Assembly’s resolution 66/288 “The future we want”, in which it recognizes that health is a precondition for and an outcome and indicator of all dimensions of sustainable development; Stressing also that concerns related to health equity and rights should be addressed in efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals; Recalling resolution WHA66.11 on health in the post-2015 development agenda, which urged Member States to ensure that health is central to the post-2015 development agenda; Reaffirming the need to sustain current achievements and intensify efforts in those countries where accelerated progress is needed towards achievement of the health-related Millennium Development Goals, especially maternal, newborn and child health; Cognizant also of the burden of maternal, newborn and child morbidity and mortality, communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases, emerging diseases and the rising burden of noncommunicable diseases and injuries; Acknowledging that universal health coverage implies that all people have access without discrimination to nationally determined sets of the needed promotive, preventive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative essential health services and essential, safe, affordable, effective and quality medicines, while ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the users to financial hardship with a special emphasis on the poor, vulnerable and marginalized segments of the population;
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Document A67/20.
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Recognizing the importance of implementing relevant internationally agreed commitments, including the Beijing Platform for Action, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the review conferences to date, the Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, and the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS and United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/81 in achieving provision of universal health coverage and improved health outcomes; Recognizing the importance of strengthening health systems and building capacities for broad public health measures, health protection and addressing determinants of health towards attaining equitable universal coverage; Emphasizing that policies and actions in sectors other than health have a significant impact on health outcomes and vice-versa, hence the need to identify synergies between policy objectives in the health and other sectors through a whole-of-government, whole-of-society and Health in All Policies approach to the post-2015 development agenda; Reiterating its determination to take action on social determinants of health as collectively agreed in resolution WHA62.14; Recognizing the importance of strengthened international cooperation and honouring commitments towards national and international health financing, and ensuring that international development cooperation in health is effective and aligned with national health priorities; Recognizing that the monitoring of health improvement should include measuring health system performance as well as health outcomes that capture healthy life expectancy, mortality, morbidity and disability; Recognizing the importance of the health workforce and its essential contribution to health systems functioning and the need for continued commitment to relevant Health Assembly resolutions, in particular WHA63.16 on the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel, 1. URGES Member States,1 in the context of health in the post-2015 development agenda: (1) to engage actively in discussions on the post-2015 development agenda, respecting the process established by the United Nations General Assembly; (2) to ensure that health is central to the post-2015 development agenda;
(3) to ensure that the post-2015 development agenda will accelerate and sustain progress towards the achievement of health-related Millennium Development Goals including, child, maternal, sexual and reproductive health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria; (4) to recognize that additional attention needs to be paid to newborn health and neglected tropical diseases;
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And, where applicable, regional economic integration organizations.
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WHA67.14
(5) to incorporate into the post-2015 agenda the need for action to reduce the preventable and avoidable burden of mortality, morbidity and disability related to noncommunicable diseases, and injuries while also promoting mental health; (6) to promote universal health coverage, defined as universal access to quality prevention, promotion, treatment, rehabilitation and palliation services and financial risk protection as fundamental to the health component in the post-2015 development agenda; (7) to emphasize the need for multisectoral actions to address social, environmental and economic determinants of health, to reduce health inequities and contribute to sustainable development, including Health-in-All-Policies as appropriate; (8) to call for the full realization of the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and to consider that this right is fundamental to equitable and inclusive sustainable development; (9) to recognize the importance of accountability through regular assessment of progress by strengthening of civil registration and vital statistics and health information systems with disaggregated data to monitor health equity; (10) to include health related indicators for measuring progress in all relevant dimensions of sustainable development; (11) to emphasize the importance of strengthening health systems, including the six building blocks of a health system (service delivery; health workforce; information; medical products, vaccines and technologies; financing; governance and leadership), to progress towards and sustain universal health coverage and improved health outcomes; 2. REQUESTS the Director-General: (1) to continue active engagement with ongoing discussions on the post-2015 development agenda, working with the United Nations Secretary-General, in order to ensure the centrality of health in all relevant processes; (2) to continue to inform Member States and provide support, upon request, on issues and processes concerning the positioning of health in the post-2015 development agenda; Ninth plenary meeting, 24 May 2014 A67/VR/9
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