WORLD HEALTH ORGm z.&TION
RllXl(ONhl. OFFICE Fat THE \iTISTiR N Pk.CIFIC wp/Rc6/14 22" July 1955
RIDIOl'JAL COMMITTEE Sixth Session Singapore 13-19 September 1955 Agenda item 16.5
ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH
LEnISLATIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE UNITED Nh.TIONS EXPl.NDED PROGRbM'lE OF TECHNIC1J, hssrsrhNcE The Executive Board. at its fifteenth session considered the legislative developments in the Expanded Programme of Technical hssistance as described in a report submitted by the Director-General. l These developments represented a ne\'l approach to technical assistance and the legislative changes proposed affected the system of allocation of funds and the procedure for pro gramme planning. The changes therefore constituted a significant amendment to the basic resolution of the Economic and Social Council establishing treExp:l.nded Programme of Technical Assistance. Constitutional issues'were also involved which were subject to consideration by the World Health Assembly and tre governing bodies of other participating organizations. JJ.though the position of the United Nations General Assembly regarding financial legislation was final, it was not final regarding all aspects of the management of the programme. This point was of some importance to WHO since although the Third World Health Assembly had expressed agreement with the ini tiaJ. resolution of tre Economic and Social Council establishing the Technical Assistance Board (Th.B) am the automatic allocation system, it had deferred final consideration of the subsequent ch=mges in the legislation rtJgarding (1) the establishment of the functions of the Executive Chairman of T1U3 and (2) the financial legislation. In view of tre fact that the United Nations General 11Ssembly had the Ebonomic and Social Council to furnish to the Gene raJ. Assembly at its tenth session, in 1955, a report on the progress made in consideration of questions raised in the report of tre i~dvisory Committee and toot tre i\drninistrative Committee on Co-ordination was to study the clarification of lines of authori ty and organi.zational rela tionships, the Board recommended to the Eighth World Health assembly (EBl5.R)O) that it continue to defer final consideration of tre amendments to the basic resolution 222 (IX). ht the same time the Board recommended that the Director-General be authorized to take the action necessary for WHO to participate in the Exp:mded Programme of Technical .kssistance. reque~ted
/The Eighth •••
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Off. Ree. 60, Annex 9
wp/RC6/14 J
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Tm Eighth World Health Assenhly, having. considered tm report of tm Directo ~General on legislative developments and the resolut ion . passed by the Executive Board approved .tre· followil)g resolution: . "Having studied the report of the Director-General on . legislative developments' in the United Nations Expanded Programme .of TechniCBl ASsistance,l . . "Having oOnSidered resolution liB15,R30 of tm Ex~outive Board·on this subjeot, "Considerirg the developments .outlined in the 18th report of the iLdministrative Committee on Co-ordination to the Eoonanio
am Sooial Council,2
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"1. ·ENDORSES resolution EB15.R30 of the Executive Boai'd.;
"2.
EXPRESSF5 the desire t}at the methods of developing prooedures for oountry programmes should be as simple as possible;
"3 •. POINTS to the direct relationship between eoonanio,· social am health faotors in the economic development of the underdeveloped oountries; .
114.
CALLS the attention of the Member States to the need for them to give tm I'Bcessary priority to health projects in plannmg the ir
country programmes; "5. DBXm)ES to defer final cons:id era tion of the amendment·s to tm basio resolution 222 (IX) of the. EConomic and Social Counoil, .and, meanwhile,
"6. AUTHORIZES the Direotor-General to continue to take tie aotion neoessary for WHO to participate in the Expanded Programme of Teohnical A.ssistanoe. 1I The at'ention.of the Regional Committee is specifically drawn· to item 4 of the above. resolution regarding the :importance of giving priority to health projects in planning tieir country programmes. During the discussions of both the Executive Board am Health Assembly emphasis was placed on the added responsibilities of national health administrations ani the role which they could play in infiuencing tie proportion of activities to be devoted to public realth in the econ~c development programmes. Tle feeling of both the Executive Board and .d.ssembly was that unless due attention 1$ given to health proje cts by health qmnini. strations the proportion of funds set aside for this work may suffer uIXier the ~w arrangements.
lIt is now •••
1 A8/P&B/12 2 A8/F&B/i2, pp.
2-4
wp/Rc6/14 Page 3 It is no~ accepted that economic development also depends on health and participation by the Organization in the Expanded Programme of Economic Development will depend to a great extent on the appreciation of governments of tre pressing need for health work. Tl'e importance of representatives of health administrations taking :r:art in all government discussiom on programmes to be requested under the Expanded Programme should therefore not be overlooked. In thi s connection the Commit tee may wish to consider adoption of a resolution along the following lines: Tm Regional Committee for the Western PacifiC, Having considered resolution WHA8.33 adopted by the Eighth World Health assembly, REITEFU~TES the existence of a direct relationship between economic, social and health factors in the economic development of under-developed countries;
ENDORSES the desire of the 11.ssembly tm t the methods of developing procedures for country programmes should be as simple as possible; NOTES tl:e decision of the World Health :~ssembly to continue to defer final consideration of the amendments to the basic resolution 222 (IX) until Slch time as sufficient experience in the operation of the new system of allocation of funds ~c; been gained; R~U ESTS too Regional Director to report to the DirectorGeneral his observations on the practical aspects of the new procedure;
URGES Member States of tm Western Pacific Region to give the necessary priority to realth projects in planning their country programmes; and REX;OMMENDS to the Member States of the Western Pacific Region tmt represert.atives of thair health administrations shall be included in the body empowered to allocate Technical Assistance funds wi thin the country.-
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