Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly – Daily Update: 23 May 2023

Delegates discuss WHO’s work in emergencies

Country delegates discussed a number of emergency items today, as items 14 and parts of item 15 were grouped together. They presented their views on the reports of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Program (IOAC), on the implementation of the International Health Regulations, on WHO’s work in emergencies, as well as in strengthening emergency preparedness and response. The countries also discussed the report on the health situation in Ukraine, and the report of the Global Health for Peace Initiative.

Delegates praised WHO’s emergency work during and after the pandemic, agreeing with the IOAC’s findings that the work had been excellent but that the emergency program was underfunded and overstretched. Some delegates highlighted the role played by the Contingency Fund in enabling the organization to respond quickly. They encouraged global efforts to strengthen preparedness and response to health emergencies, learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and reiterated the importance of a harmonized global health architecture, placing WHO at the center. Several spoke of the need to align different initiatives to avoid duplication and strengthen their impact. Some emphasized the need for continuous work to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse. Delegates supported the Global Health for Peace initiative and the strengthening of clinical trials, asking WHO for further guidance and support to build country capacity in this area, to improve the quality of research and interventions.

Motions and decisions will be considered on Wednesday, according to the current schedule.

Related documents

Documents A76/7 Rev.1, A76/7 Rev.1 Add.2, A76/7 Rev.1 Add.3, A76/8, A76/9 Rev.1, A76/10, A76/11, A76/12

A76/7 Rev.1 Add.2
Global initiative Health for Peace

A76/7 Rev.1 Add.3
Financial and administrative implications for the Secretariat of decisions proposed for adoption by the Health Assembly

A76/8
Public Health Emergencies: Preparedness and Response
Independent Monitoring and Advisory Board for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme

A76/9 Rev.1
Implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005)

A76/10
Strengthening WHO’s preparedness and response to health emergencies
Strengthening the global architecture for preparedness, response and resilience to health emergencies

A76/11
WHO’s work in health emergencies
Public Health Emergencies: Preparedness and Response

A76/12
Implementation of resolution WHA75.11 (2022)

Strategic discussion on global health workforce priorities for universal health coverage

the Strategic Round Table was held in Protecting and investing in the health and care workforce: An action-oriented agenda for the second half of the Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing the role of political leadership and cross-sectoral governance in this priority health agenda. Reflections and outcomes from Fifth Global Forum on Human Resources for Healthwhich was recently held under the theme “Protect, invest, together”he provided the foundation for the round table.

Opening the session, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reminded delegates that “everything we are discussing this week – universal health coverage, global health security and the Sustainable Development Goals – all depends on health workers”.

The session was moderated by Sir David Behan, Non-Executive Director, NHS, United Kingdom and featured keynote speakers including Mr Enzo Bondioni, Executive Director, FDI – World Dental Federation; Dr. Alexandru Rafila, Minister of Health, Romania; Dr. Lino Tom, Minister of Health, Papua New Guinea; Her. Minata Samate Oessuma, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, African Union; Ms. Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF; dr. Juan Pablo Uribe, Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population, World Bank / Former Minister of Health, Colombia; Professor Senait Fisseha, Vice President, Global Programs, Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation; and Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia.

The global health workforce shortage has decreased significantly from 18 million in 2013 to 15 million in 2020, and is projected to be around 10 million by 2030. However, the data largely reflects the pre-COVID-19 trend and masks deep regional differences : progress is slower in the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions and small island developing states. It is clear that urgent action is needed now to bridge the gap.

Speakers highlighted key challenges facing the global health workforce today, including maldistribution, inefficiencies, gender disparities, an aging workforce and poor working conditions, resulting from a lack of support, protection and respect for labor rights, further compounding the challenges.

The roundtable concluded with calls to action to protect and invest in the health and care workforce and strengthen the capacity of national health systems if the world is to achieve the goals of universal health coverage and global health security. Recommended measures include:

• protect the existing health and care workforce, including all occupational health and safety measures, safe staffing and fair pay;
• protect the fiscal space for social spending (education, health, social protection) and allocate the budget needed to strengthen the workforce in health and care;
• invest in increased education and supply of health professionals to meet the health needs of the population;
• invest in creating new jobs in the health economy: with a focus on national capacity for core public health functions, including emergency preparedness and response and primary health care;
• invest in reducing gender inequalities among the health and healthcare workforce, including the gender pay gap; and
• strengthen the implementation of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel in Member States.

Concluding the Strategic Roundtable, Dr Tedros said: “We know the problem and the solutions. What we lack is action and responsibility. With a sense of urgency, it can be done.”