WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION EXECUTIVE BOARD 105th Session Provisional agenda item 5 EB105/15 29 November 1999
Collaboration within the United Nations system and with other intergovernmental organizations Report by the Secretariat
1. This report covers only those items that are of immediate interest to the Executive Board. A more comprehensive report will be submitted to the Fifty-third World Health Assembly.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT SOCIETIES 2. WHO and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have collaborated for some time in a number of areas, such as response to emergencies and blood safety. A more comprehensive framework for collaboration, drawing on the competitive advantages of each organization, is now in place 3. One new area of collaboration has immediate impact. Safe blood will be the theme of World Health Day 2000; WHO is framing the strategy for celebrating it in partnership with the Federation. This is the first time WHO has used such an approach. WHO, with its technical expertise and network of government contacts, and the Federation, with its large number of local level branches and volunteers, together can reach a vast audience with the message: “Safe blood starts with me” and the subtext “Blood saves lives”.
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT GROUP; UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FRAMEWORK 4. The Fifty-second World Health Assembly in its decision WHA52(9) requested the DirectorGeneral to draw up an analytical report on WHO’s participation in the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for consideration by the Executive Board. 5. In July 1999 WHO joined the United Nations Development Group and thus has a different level of participation in the UNDAF exercise. WHO subsequently convened two UNDAF training exercises, one in Geneva (July 1999) and another for WHO Representatives in the South-East Asia Region (November 1999). WHO is also participating in a review of the UNDAF process with UNDP and other bodies.
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6. The second round of the UNDAF exercise is under way; as of November 1999, it had been completed in only a few countries. An analysis of WHO’s participation in this exercise will be prepared once it is completed in more countries, and submitted to the Executive Board for consideration at a future session.
PROGRESS ON INDIGENOUS HEALTH INITIATIVES 7. Following resolution WHA51.24 on the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, and a report to the Executive Board at its 103rd session,1 the Secretariat was requested to report on progress to the Board at its 105th session in January 2000. 8. The document, The health of indigenous peoples, has been widely circulated and has elicited considerable interest.2 It is a first attempt at providing a global picture of the situation. 9. A forum on the health of indigenous peoples (Geneva, 29 July 1999) 3 was organized jointly with the Committee on Indigenous Health to provide information about progress made by WHO as focal point for health issues during the past year. The forum also provided an open platform for representatives of indigenous peoples and their organizations to suggest major development and health issues to be addressed during the WHO consultation in November 1999 (see paragraph 12). 10. The Executive Director of UNEP and the Director-General of WHO met (Arendal, Norway, 23 August 1999) leaders of the Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations. The Memorandum of Understanding signed by UNEP and WHO on that occasion covered issues of concern to indigenous peoples. 11. A meeting of leaders of the Arctic Indigenous People’s Organizations (Moscow, September 1999) focused on the environment and the health of indigenous peoples. It urged the governments of the Arctic countries, the Arctic Council, UNEP and WHO to take further action on these issues in close collaboration with indigenous peoples. 12. An international consultation on the health of indigenous peoples (Geneva, November 1999), which aimed at a balanced representation of indigenous peoples, governments and regions, sought to provide direction for preparation of WHO’s plan of action to address the health needs of indigenous peoples.
ACTION BY THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 13. The Board is invited to note the report.
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Document EB103/30. Document WHO/SDE/HSD/99.1.
Held during the working group on indigenous people of the Sub-commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
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