WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan noted that the agency’s governing board had passed several “landmark resolutions and decisions” including three new resolutions passed on tuesday: one on air pollution, one on epilepsy, one laying out the next steps in finalizing a framework of engagement with non-State actors.
Over the weekend, delegates at the 68th World Health Assembly, which had been meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, since 18 May, gave the go-ahead for WHO to “establish an emergency programme, which will be guided by an all-hazards health emergency approach, that emphasizes adaptability, flexibility and accountability, humanitarian principles, predictability, timeliness and country ownership.”
WHO will set up a $100-million contingency fund to provide financing for in-field operations for up to 3 months. The contingency fund will run initially as a two-year pilot and will then be evaluated.
Delegates noted their appreciation for the key coordination role played by WHO in its ongoing work to develop vaccines, diagnostics and drugs for Ebola virus disease.
Also over the weekend, the Assembly endorsed a global action plan to tackle antimicrobial resistance – including antibiotic resistance, “the most urgent drug resistance trend.”
In addition, the Assembly agreed on resolution to improve access to sustainable supplies of affordable vaccines – a key issue for low- and middle-income countries aiming to extend immunization to the entire population.
And today, the delegates adopted a resolution to address the health impacts of air pollution – the world’s largest single environmental health risk.
“Every year 4.3 million deaths occur from exposure to indoor air pollution and 3.7 million deaths are attributable to outdoor air pollution,” WHO said in a press release.