WORLD HEALTH OR GANIZAT ION • R EGIONAL OFF ICE FOR EUROPE Scherfigsvej 8, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark Telephone: +45 39 17 17 17 Fax: +45 39 17 18 18 Electronic mail: postmaster@euro.who.int World Wide Web address: http://www.euro.who.int Seventeenth Standing Committee of the Regional Committee for Europe First session Copenhagen, Thursday, 17 September 2009 EUR/RC59/SC(1)/REP 9 November 2009 92043 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH Report of the first session
EUR/RC59/SC(1)/REP page 1 Introduction 1. The Seventeenth Standing Committee of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (SCRC) held its first session at the Regional Office for Europe on 17 September 2009, immediately after the closure of the fifty-ninth session of the Regional Committee (RC59). The incoming Chairperson welcomed the new members from Azerbaijan, Sweden and Ukraine and noted apologies for absence from the member from Slovakia and the European member of the Executive Board selected to attend sessions of the Seventeenth SCRC as an observer. Adoption of the provisional agenda 2. The provisional agenda was adopted with the addition of the topic “Planning for the transition period” under the item “Plan of work of the Seventeenth SCRC 2009–2010”. Outcome of the fifty-ninth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe 3. The Executive President of RC59, attending the SCRC session as an observer, and the Chairperson of the SCRC congratulated the Secretariat on its excellent conduct of the Regional Committee session. The SCRC singled out the subject of health governance as one that would be important in the years ahead. Plan of work of the Seventeenth SCRC, 2009–2010 Preparations for reporting back to RC60 on the implementation of resolution EUR/RC53/R1 4. The Executive President of RC59 reported that he and the current Chairperson of the SCRC had met representatives of the three semi-permanent members of the Executive Board (France, the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom) to inform them that the SCRC would be working on the issue of semi-permanency during the year and that the topic would be on the agenda of RC60 in Moscow in 2010, as called for by resolution EUR/RC53/R1. It was expected that the SCRC would establish a working group to consider the matter in detail and that representatives of those three countries would be invited to submit their views to it. Other aspects of governance that might be considered by that (or another) working group were the process of preparing for elections and nominations by the Regional Committee (including the role of the Standing Committee and the Regional Search Group, and the practice of considering candidatures in the framework of subregional groups of countries) and broader issues such as relations with WHO headquarters, the European Union, the Council of Europe and other intergovernmental bodies. 5. The Seventeenth Standing Committee requested the Secretariat to prepare a document for consideration at its second session describing the various “mandates” already given in that area over the years by the Organization’s governing bodies at regional level, which could form the basis for the terms of reference of the working group(s) to be set up. Members of the working group(s) could then make proposals concerning the process of tackling the issue of the governance of WHO in the European Region. EUR/RC59/SC(1)/REP page 2 Planning for the transition period 6. The Seventeenth Standing Committee confirmed the previous agreement to hold its second session in Ohrid, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on 9 and 10 November 2009. The first day would be devoted to the agenda as set for the formal meeting of the second session. 7. The SCRC recommended that the Regional Director designate should be invited to attend the second day, which would be devoted to an informal brainstorming session and preparatory activities for the incoming Regional Director as of 1 February 2010. 8. The Chairperson would consult with the Regional Director designate about possible dates for the Standing Committee’s third session at the end of February or the beginning of March 2010, and would then circulate a proposal by electronic mail to SCRC members. 9. The Executive President of RC59 emphasized that the current Regional Director should continue to exercise all due authority until the end of his term of office on 31 January 2010. 10. The SCRC members welcomed the statement by the Regional Director that he would make the transitional phase between the outgoing and the incoming Regional Directors as smooth as possible, in the best interests of the Organization. Election of the Vice-Chairperson of the Seventeenth SCRC 11. The Standing Committee unanimously selected Mr Josep M. Casals Alís (Andorra) as Vice- Chairperson of the Seventeenth SCRC.