SIXTY-FOURTH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY Agenda item 13.4
WHA64.8 24 May 2011
Strengthening national policy dialogue to build more robust health policies, strategies and plans The Sixty-fourth World Health Assembly, Having considered the report on health system strengthening: improving support to policy dialogue around national health policies, strategies and plans;1 Having considered the importance of policy directions suggested by the world health reports for 2008 and 2010;2 resolution WHA62.12 on primary health care, including health system strengthening; resolutions EUR/RC60/R5 on addressing key public health and health policy challenges in Europe: moving forwards in the quest for better health in the WHO European Region; WPR/RC61.R2 on the Western Pacific Regional Strategy for health systems based on the values of primary health care; AFR/RC60/R1 on a strategy for addressing key determinants of health in the African Region and documents AFR/RC60/7 on health systems strengthening: improving district health service delivery, and community ownership and participation and SEA/RC63/9 on the development of national health plans and strategies; Recognizing that robust and realistic national health policies, strategies and plans are essential for strengthening health systems based on primary health care; Underlining the importance of coherent and balanced policies, strategies and plans under ministries of health with respect to efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals; Acknowledging that many Member States have made efforts to ensure that their national health policies, strategies and plans respond better to growing expectations for improved health and better services; Noting that an inclusive policy dialogue with a comprehensive range of stakeholders, within and beyond government, including civil society organizations, the private sector, and health professionals and academics, within the health and other sectors, is critical to increasing the likelihood that national policies, strategies and plans will be appropriately designed and implemented and will yield the expected results,
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Document A64/12.
The world health report 2008. Primary health care (now more than ever). Geneva, World Health Organization, 2008. The world health report 2010. Health systems financing: the path to universal coverage. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2010.
WHA64.8
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URGES Member States:1 (1) to show effective leadership and ownership of the process of establishing robust national or subnational health policies and strategies, basing that process on broad and continuous consultation and engagement of all relevant stakeholders; (2) to base their national or subnational health policies, strategies and plans on the overarching goals of universal coverage, people-centred primary care and health in all policies, as well as on a comprehensive, balanced and evidence-based assessment of the country’s health and its health system challenges; (3) to ensure that national or subnational health policies, strategies and plans are ambitious but realistic with respect to available resources and the capacities of staff and institutions, and that they address the entire health sector, public as well as private, and the social determinants of health; (4) to ensure that national health policies, strategies and plans are integrated with subnational operational plans, disease or life-cycle programmes, and are linked to the country’s overall development and political agenda; (5) to regularly monitor, review and adjust their national or subnational health policies, strategies and plans with a view to developing evidence-based responses to evolving challenges and opportunities, and to involve all relevant stakeholders; (6) to strengthen their institutional capacity, as appropriate, in harmonizing and aligning donor programmes with the national policies, strategies, priorities and plans; (7) to promote the engagement and empowerment of all stakeholders, including civil society and communities, the private sector, health professionals and academics, to participate actively and efficiently in policy dialogue concerning the performance of national policies, strategies and plans;
2. CALLS upon development agencies and other partners to strengthen adherence to the principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, of ownership, harmonization, alignment, managing for results, and mutual accountability, encouraging efforts through mechanisms such as the International Health Partnership; 3. REQUESTS the Director-General: (1) to renew the Organization’s role at country level as a facilitator of inclusive policy dialogue around national health policies, strategies and plans, to reflect this across the Organization’s workplans and operations, and to provide technical inputs for conducting the planning process, as appropriate; (2) to promote the principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, of ownership, harmonization, alignment, results, and mutual accountability, based on priorities set out in the national health policies, strategies and plans;
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And, where applicable, regional economic integration organizations.
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WHA64.8
(3) to support Member States in their efforts to ensure the ownership, quality and coordination of the technical support they receive, and to foster cross-country and regional learning and cooperation; (4) to strengthen the Organization’s capacity at all levels for enhanced and integrated support to national policy dialogue around national health policies, strategies and plans; (5) to report to the Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly, through the Executive Board, on progress made, obstacles faced and results obtained in enhancing support provided to Member States for national policy dialogue around national health policies, strategies and plans.
Tenth plenary meeting, 24 May 2011 A64/VR/10 = = =
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