Future of global health examined at the World Health Assembly
Leaders highlight importance of new technologies
The 64th convening of the World Health Assembly (WHA) was held at the United Nations (UN) in Geneva from May 16 to 24 and brought together leading experts in global health to establish priorities and discuss strategies among the member states and their representatives. The meeting delivered a number of significant outcomes for the global health community including the announcement of a new World Health Forum to determine global health priorities, a continued focus on the importance and impact of global health technologies, and the declaration of significant reductions in the budget at the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO reduced its budget by $1 billion and cut 300 jobs at its headquarters in Geneva. These cuts were due to the $300 million budget shortfall at the WHO last year. The member states agreed on a $3.96 billion budget for the next fiscal year.
Among the significant resolutions proposed at the WHA’s latest convening was the development of the new World Health Forum,a multi-stakeholder platform intended to help the WHO establish global health priorities, and include civil-society, the private sector, and academia in the WHO’s decision-making process.
Vaccines and recent innovation successes for health proved to be a frequent topic of the WHA as both WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, spoke at length about the value and successes of vaccines and new health technologies. Specifically, Dr. Chan and Mr. Gates spoke about the successes of the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP), a collaborative project between PATH and the WHO and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. MVP has delivered to nearly 20 million individuals following a launch in December 2010, at the low cost of 50 cents per dose. Dr. Chan also commended MVP’s efficient development and delivery of vaccine, and the fact that a new technology reached those most in need first, “This offers evidence of a welcome new trend. Africa is the first to receive the best technology that the world, working together, can offer.”
Mr. Gates specifically explained his plan for a “decade of vaccines” that calls for the eradication of polio, the development of at least five new vaccines for diseases affecting children, and the establishment of effective vaccine delivery systems worldwide. He called on the assembly to work together to embrace new technological discovery and foster a healthier world, “With your involvement, we can make this the decade in which we take full advantage of the technology of vaccines. By doing that, we will build an entirely new future based on the understanding that global health is the cornerstone of global prosperity.”
In addition to introducing the importance and strong impact of global health technologies, the WHA explored the topic of innovative financing for technologies with a focus on the GAVI mechanism. Dr. Chan pointed specifically to the role that GAVI and other innovative financing mechanisms played in the roll-out of new vaccines for pneumonia and diarrhea, the two biggest killers of children. Dr. Chan showed strong support for GAVI and encouraged the assembly to continue their support by saying, “I strongly urge you to support the GAVI replenishment in June.” In addition, Mr. Gates also called for more support for GAVI pointing to the incredible impact government investment can make, “With generosity, we will have the chance to prevent four million deaths by 2015 and ten million deaths by 2020.”
The 64th convening of the WHA saw a great number of important calls to action and a renewed focus on the impact of global health innovation in the world. In his address at the opening session of the WHA, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Director General of the UN Office at Geneva, eloquently summarized the UN’s understanding and commitment to global health innovation, “Global health is one of the greatest challenges of our time, but also an area of opportunity with scope for solutions. Continued political commitment is indispensable if we are to translate the promise of technological and scientific advances into reality.”
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