Plenary session of WHO 15th May AM session DJ

ITEM 2
Reports of the Executive Board on its 118th, 119th and 120th sessions:

The Executive Board summarised the decisions and discussions from the 118th (May 2006), 119th (November 2006) and the 120th sessions (January 2007).
This information can be found in Document A60/2.

Address by Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General:
Document to be distributed tomorrow A60/3.

ITEM 3

General Discussion:

China emphasized the importance of supporting health care improvement in Africa and encouraged the WHO to keep on working towards this. Indeed, the health situation in Africa is hindering their economic development. China also made three propositions:
1. Increase the role of the WHO and encourage states to fully support it. Health has repercussions in issues of security, economics, etc issue and WHO has to have a bigger role in this context.
2. Put in force a global disease control mechanism as well as an early warning system.
3. Help to improve health security in developing countries, because diseases don't respect physical borders. Health is a global issue.
Indonesia justified its decision to stop providing H5N1 samples to the WHO earlier this year by blaming the abusive use of samples by private actors. It advocated a fair and equal distribution of these samples. It wants a guarantee that the results of the research made possible by these samples will be redistributed fairly to developing countries. While providing these virus samples for free to the WHO, it wants to be sure that it will then have access to the vaccine produced for a reasonable price. It recommended the creation of a mechanism to allow it.
Algeria, talking on behalf of the health ministers of Arab countries, reminded the assembly that the situation in Palestine is problematic because infrastructure is lacking or has been destroyed by Israeli forces. It compared this situation to the one in Lebanon after the conflict of last summer. It also detailed the problematic health situations in Darfur, Somalia, Libya, as well as in Iraq and its neighbours, like Jordan, which welcome a significant number of refugees, and so put the balance of their health service in danger.
Zimbabwe complained about the international community’s lack of support for health matters in the country that could make the country even more vulnerable.
The Cook Islands, talking for the Pacific Islands, highlighted the link between poverty and health. It also expressed its concern about non-transmissible diseases, in particular obesity and mental illnesses.
Brazil asked for more cooperation on health issues that have a strong influence on the fight against poverty and hunger started by the President Lula. It also warned against the danger of the TRIPS and said that it should not limit health policies.

ITEM 4

Invited speakers:

The Prime Minister of Norway, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, insisted that States should do more to achieve goals 4 and 5 of the Millennium Development Goals, to improve the health of children and mothers. He also called for better coordination and efficiency between the UN agencies.

The Executive Director of UNFPD, Mrs Nafis Sadik, expressed her wish to stop all unsafe abortion practices and affirmed that abortion should never be an official family planning policy. Women’s empowerment should also be encouraged in health issues as well as gender perspectives. Finally she asked for short-term solutions in addition to long-term ones and for more cohesion in the UN system.