WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION FIFTY-NINTH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY A59/54 27 May 2006
Third report of Committee B
Committee B held its fifth meeting on 27 May 2006 under the chairmanship of Dr Ali Jaffer Mohammad (Oman). It was decided to recommend to the Fifty-ninth World Health Assembly the adoption of the attached resolution and two decisions relating to the following agenda items: 11. Technical and health matters 11.14 Emergency preparedness and response One resolution, as amended 11.13 WHO’s role and responsibilities in health research One decision 11.15 Health promotion in a globalized world One decision
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Agenda item 11.14 Emergency preparedness and response The Fifty-ninth World Health Assembly, Having considered the report on emergency preparedness and response;1 Aware of the suffering caused by natural and man-made disasters; Noting that the resilience of nations and communities affected by crises is being eroded by the extreme pressures they face on a daily basis and over a protracted period; Concerned that emergency preparedness in many countries is weak, and that existing mechanisms may not be able to cope with large-scale disasters such as the earthquakes in Bam, Islamic Republic of Iran, and, most recently, in northern India and Pakistan, the earthquakes and tsunamis in south Asia and the hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the United States of America; Appreciating the progress made, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean and South-East Asia regions with regard to emergency response to the south Asian earthquake; Recalling resolution WHA58.1 on health action in relation to crises and disasters, with particular emphasis on the earthquakes and tsunamis of 26 December 2004, and the United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/60/124 on Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations, 1. EXPRESSES its sympathy, support and solidarity for the victims of disasters, their families and their governments; 2. REQUESTS Member States to further strengthen national emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery programmes through, as appropriate, legislative, planning, technical, financial and logistical measures, with a special focus on building health systems and community resilience; 3. URGES Member States to provide support to affected countries, and to WHO so that it may address immediately, within its mandate, humanitarian health crises; 4. REQUESTS the Director-General, to take the necessary steps: (1) to provide the necessary technical guidance and support to Member States for building their health-sector emergency preparedness and response programmes at national and local levels, including a focus on strengthening community preparedness and resilience; (2) to build on the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 stemming from the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, 18-22 January 2005), when providing support to Member States to assess the status of health-sector emergency preparedness,
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Document A59/20.
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including assessment of the resilience and risk-management capability of hospitals and other key health infrastructures; (3) to work to ensure that WHO, within its mandate, is able to respond effectively to emergencies and crises and, in doing so, continues to work closely with other organizations of the United Nations system under the coordination of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and other relevant international organizations and mechanisms; 5. REQUESTS the Director-General in particular: (1) to explore and implement measures to enhance WHO participation in the overall humanitarian response through existing mechanisms such as the Central Emergency Response Fund, International Search and Rescue Advisory Group, or the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination team; (2) to compile a global database of authoritative technical health references in order to facilitate health-sector response to emergencies and crises; (3) to establish and maintain, in collaboration with relevant organizations of the United Nations system and other partners, a tracking service that will monitor and assess mortality rates in humanitarian emergencies. (4) to take part in United Nations system-wide mechanisms for logistics and supply management which would assure immediate mobilization of vital supplies in emergencies an crises; 6. FURTHER REQUESTS the Director-General to report to the Sixtieth World Health Assembly, through the Executive Board, on progress in implementing this resolution.
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Agenda item 11.13 WHO’s role and responsibilities in health research The Fifty-ninth World Health Assembly decided to submit the text of the draft resolution entitled “WHO’s role and responsibilities in health research”, incorporating the amendments proposed by the Member States, to the 120th session of the Executive Board for further consideration.
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Agenda item 11.15 Health promotion in a globalized world The Fifty-ninth World Health Assembly decided to submit the text of the draft resolution entitled “Health promotion in a globalized world”, incorporating the amendments proposed by Members States, to the 120th session of the Executive Board for further consideration.
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