WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION EXECUTIVE BOARD 116th Session Provisional agenda item 3 EB116/2 26 May 2005
Outcome of the Fifty-eighth World Health Assembly
1. The Fifty-eighth World Health Assembly dealt with an extremely heavy agenda, covering: the review and approval of the Proposed programme budget 2006-2007; the revision of the International Health Regulations; 21 subitems under Technical and health matters; financial and management matters; collaboration within the United Nations system and with other intergovernmental organizations; health conditions of, and assistance to, the Arab population in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine; and staffing matters. In all, the Health Assembly adopted 34 resolutions and two decisions. The adoption of the International Health Regulations (2005) is seen as a major achievement for public health. 2. The Director-General, in his address, reported on some of the major health issues confronting the world. He also requested Ms Ann Veneman, the newly appointed Executive Director of UNICEF to speak to the Health Assembly. The invited speakers were His Excellency Mr Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of Maldives, and Mr Bill Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
COMMITTEE A 3. The Committee tackled a heavy agenda of pressing and challenging public health issues. Six agenda subitems were transferred to Committee B. 4. Committee A began by discussing the revision of the International Health Regulations, and consideration of the related draft resolution continued in four meetings of a working group. The Committee approved by consensus the resolution on Revision of the International Health Regulations, which was subsequently adopted in plenary, bringing to a successful conclusion the long process of revision. 5. The resolutions of Committee A were all approved by consensus. They included the resolutions on health action in relation to crises and disasters, with particular emphasis on the earthquakes and tsunamis of 26 December 2004, malaria control, strengthening pandemic-influenza preparedness and response, sustainable financing for tuberculosis prevention and control, a global immunization strategy, and eHealth. 6. The agenda included the Proposed programme budget 2006-2007, for discussion of which areas of work were divided into seven groups. The appropriation resolution for the financial period 2006-2007 was approved by consensus.
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7. Throughout its work, the Committee was assisted by working groups. These related to the revision of the International Health Regulations and the draft resolutions on improving the containment of antimicrobial resistance; sustainable health financing, universal coverage and social health insurance; enhancement of laboratory biosafety; infant and young child nutrition; and the Ministerial Summit on Health Research. 8. The Committee noted the Secretariat’s report on poliomyelitis and the progress reports on implementation of resolutions, including: prevention and control of iodine deficiency disorders; traditional medicine; implementing the recommendations of the World report on violence and health; strategic approach to international chemicals management; promotion of healthy lifestyles; and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. A resolution on sustaining the elimination of iodine deficiency disorders was approved. The Committee also reviewed progress in scaling up treatment and care within a coordinated and comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS.
COMMITTEE B 9. The work of Committee B included six subitems under Technical and health matters that were transferred from Committee A (see paragraph 15 below) in addition to items including the report of the Internal Auditor, financial matters, Real Estate Fund, staffing matters, proposal for establishment of World Blood Donor Day, implementation of multilingualism in WHO, and collaboration within the United Nations system and with other intergovernmental organizations. 10. The Committee started its work with the discussion of the health conditions of, and assistance to, the Arab population in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine, and a resolution was approved, and later adopted by the plenary. 11. Under the agenda item on Financial matters, the status of collection of assessed contributions, including Member States in arrears in the payment of their contributions to an extent that would justify invoking Article 7 of the Constitution, was considered. Five resolutions were approved in this respect. Two other resolutions were approved following discussions of the Unaudited interim financial report on the accounts of WHO for 2004, and the Assessments for 2006-2007, both of which subitems were introduced by the Chairman of the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee of the Executive Board. 12. On staffing matters, the subitem on Amendments to the Staff Regulations and Staff Rules in respect of salaries of staff in ungraded posts and of the Director-General was considered and one resolution approved. A decision was also approved regarding the appointment of representatives to the WHO Staff Pension Committee. 13. Discussions under the agenda item on Collaboration within the United Nations system and with other intergovernmental organizations concluded with the approval of a resolution on United Nations reform process and WHO’s role in harmonization of operational development activities at country level. 14. Discussions of the proposal for establishment of World Blood Donor Day resulted in the approval of a resolution. 15. Committee B took up six subitems on Technical and health matters that were transferred from Committee A: Achievement of health-related Millennium Development Goals; Cancer prevention and
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control; Disability, including prevention, management and rehabilitation; Public health problems caused by harmful use of alcohol; International Plan of Action on Ageing: report on implementation; and International migration of health personnel: a challenge for health systems in developing countries. Discussions were intense in all cases, and drafting groups helped the Committee to reach consensus and approve resolutions on the six subitems.
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