Update of the Seventy-fourth World Health Assembly – May 28, 2021

• New resolutions on the health and care workforce and strategic guidelines for care and midwives
• Patient safety decisions; health, environment and climate change; chemical management; coordination of work on non-communicable diseases
• A global action plan for healthy living and well-being for all
• Prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment

Protect, protect and invest in the health and care workforce

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the key role of all health workers and health workers at the helm of the pandemic, who faced multiple risks related to their health, well-being and safety.

Resolution Fr. Protection, protection and investment in the health and care workforce calls for action to ensure that investments in our workforce provide: skill, competence, equipment, support and competence. It emphasizes the need for a decent salary, recognition, a safe working environment and the protection of their rights.

The resolution emphasizes the need to:

It obliges the Director-General to update and strengthen the implementation of the WHO Action Plan on Health Employment and Inclusive Economic Growth, working with Member States and relevant partners.

The Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2021–2025 and the accompanying resolution provide policy recommendations in education, jobs, leadership, and service delivery to help countries ensure that their nurses and midwives have the maximum impact on the health outcomes of the population. These policies are derived from the evidence published in World Health Report (2020) and Midwifery Report on the State of the World (2021).

2021 is the International Year of Health and Care Workers. At the heart of this year is the recognition that the world must protect and invest in health and health workers to manage the pandemic, maintain health services, improve the preparedness, education and training of the health workforce, and develop a vaccine against COVID-19. .

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The patient safety decision aims to eliminate avoidable global healthcare

Delegates agreed on concrete actions to eliminate the harm that can be avoided in health care by adopting the first “Global Action Plan for Patient Safety 2021-2030”. Every year, millions of patients suffer injuries or die from unsafe health care globally, and 134 million adverse events occur annually in low- and middle-income countries alone, contributing to 2.6 million deaths. Even in high-income countries, approximately 1 in 10 patients is impaired during the provision of hospital care. It is estimated that almost half of these events can be prevented.

In 2019, a WHA resolution on global action on patient safety recognized patient safety as a key global health priority, asking the WHO to consult with countries and stakeholders to formulate a global action plan for patient safety.

Today’s decision provides strategic and practical direction to countries to formulate policies and implement interventions at all levels and settings aimed at improving patient safety. The Action Plan lists the priority actions to be taken by governments, civil society, international organizations, intergovernmental organizations, the WHO and, most importantly, health institutions around the world. The WHO will work with Member States to develop their respective implementation plans, in line with their national context.

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Global strategy for health, environment and climate change

Important steps have already been taken to implement the WHO Global Strategy for Health, Environment and Climate Change for 2019: the transformation needed to sustainably improve life and well-being through a healthy environment.

These include a manifesto for a green and healthy recovery from COVID-19, a plan of action on biodiversity and health; advocating for water, sanitation and hygiene in health facilities; launching the Global Hand Hygiene Initiative for All; health messages for the upcoming COP-26 (UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change); global campaign to prevent lead poisoning; various regional action plans and forums to support the country’s action on health and the environment. WHO has supported a number of countries in health and environmental projects.

WHA delegates have now decided to report on the progress of the strategy for 2, 4 and 8 years.

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International chemicals management and the role of the health sector

Delegates also decided to report back in two years on progress in implementing the WHO Chemicals Guidelines, highlighting the key role of health in healthy chemical management, and to include the need for chemical management in all health programs. They also asked the Secretariat to update the roadmap to prepare recommendations regarding a strategic approach and sound management of chemicals and waste after 2020.

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Extending the Global Coordination Mechanism for Noncommunicable Diseases

The Global Coordination Mechanism (GCM) for noncommunicable diseases will be extended until 2030. GCM was established in 2014.

A number of measures have been recommended to improve its effectiveness. These include the development of a work plan to perform the 5 functions for which GCM is responsible. The plan will include a clear vision, a robust framework of results, performance and outcome indicators, and clarity on how the mechanism will perform its functions in a way that is integrated with the WHO’s ongoing work on NCDs. The plan will be submitted to the World Health Assembly in 2022, after consideration by the Executive Board.

Practical tools will be developed to share knowledge and disseminate information on innovative activities from different stakeholders working at the state level. Thus, a global review of the actions of various stakeholders at the national level will be carried out, together with guidelines for Member States on engagement with non-state actors, including prevention and management of potential risks. Advice will be provided to civil society on how to develop multi-stakeholder national responses to NCDs and hold governments accountable; and the ability of people living with NCDs to participate in co-creating society-wide responses to NCDs will be strengthened.

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Global Action Plan for Healthy Living and Welfare for All – SDG GAP

Delegates stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic had reversed a decade of progress in the SDG’s goals and stressed the need to redouble efforts by accelerating the implementation of the SDG3 GAP, WHO’s 13^th general work program, and special primary health care program.

Extensive support was provided to SDG3 GAP and the convening of the WHO. Delegates noted the key role of the GAP in strengthening primary health care and progressing towards the goals set out in the Global Strategy for Women, Children and Adolescents. They also stressed its focus on impact at the state level and its key role in supporting a just and resilient recovery.

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Prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse

On Strategic briefing Preventing sexual exploitation and abuse: from policy to practice in health emergencies, The Secretariat outlined what the WHO is doing at all levels of the organization to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) and harassment.

WHO is committed to a comprehensive, holistic and survivor-oriented approach to PSEA and sexual harassment, and is taking action in the areas of policy, capacity development and operations. PSEA contact points in Ukraine, Guinea and Bangladesh reported to Member States on their work in crisis situations for communities and staff, including regular and mandatory PSEA training for WHO staff, implementation of hotlines for safe reporting of complaints, designation of trustees community and continuing links with partner agencies in prevention efforts.

General director addressed 5^th Committee B meeting on agenda item 30.2 – report internal auditor on the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (A74 / 36). The director general assured delegates that he would receive monthly reports on investigations on a regular basis Independent Commission on sexual charges exploitation and abuse during the response to 10^th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Secretariat will also provide quarterly briefings to Member States, as required by the Executive Board, and has specific agenda items on this topic for future WHO governance meetings. In addition, WHO will:

• establish a WHO working team, led by a senior female person, to accelerate the implementation of WHO policies and procedures across the organization, adopting a holistic approach to the prevention and management of sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment. The working team will also monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Commission;
• establish an informal advisory group of external experts who can advise on best-in-class approaches, recognizing that Member States and other actors have valuable experience and expertise on which the WHO can rely.

Introductory remarks by the Director-General on agenda item 30.2, report A74 / 36 on the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, and PBAC report A74 / 51