Latest news with #HealthAssembly
Reuters
20-05-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Landmark global pandemic agreement adopted by World Health Organization members
GENEVA, May 20 (Reuters) - Members of the World Health Organization adopted a landmark agreement on Tuesday on how to prepare for future pandemics following the COVID-19 outbreak, which killed millions of people between the years of 2020 and 2022. After three years of negotiations, the legally binding pact was adopted by the World Health Assembly in Geneva. WHO member countries welcomed its passing with applause.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
20-05-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
WHO chief defends $2.1 bn budget after US cuts, compares with cost of war
Stripped of US funding, the World Health Organization chief on Monday appealed to member countries to support its extremely modest request for a $2.1 billion annual budget by putting that sum into perspective next to outlays for ad campaigns for tobacco or the cost of war. After nearly 80 years of striving to improve human lives and health - which critics say it has done poorly or not enough -- the UN health agency is fighting for its own after US President Donald Trump in January halted funding from the United States, which has traditionally been WHO's largest donor. Two-point-one billion dollars is the equivalent of global military expenditure every eight hours, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Two-point-one billion dollars is the price of one stealth bomber, to kill people. And $2.1 billion is one-quarter of what the tobacco industry spends on advertising and promotion every single year. Again, a product that kills people, he told the WHO's annual assembly. It seems somebody switched the price tags on what is truly valuable in our world. Tedros made no specific reference to the US cuts but has said previously the US pullout was a mistake and urged Washington to reconsider. A State Department spokesperson, in an email, confirmed Monday that the United States will not field a delegation to participate in the World Health Assembly. WHO has presented a budget for the next two years that is 22 per cent less than originally planned, largely in response to US and other Western funding cuts, and says it has landed commitments for about 60 per cent of that. But it still faces a budget gap of $1.7 billion. We know that in the current landscape, mobilizing that sum will be a challenge. We are not naive to that challenge," Tedros said. "But for an organization working on the ground in 150 countries with a vast mission and mandate that member states have given us, $4.2 billion for two years or $2.1 billion a year is not ambitious. It's extremely modest, he said. Cuts that could cost lives As a result of the cuts, the UN health agency this year has seen a plunge in its ability to carry out its sweeping mandate to do everything from recommend reductions in sugar levels in soft drinks to head the global response to pandemics like Covid-19 or outbreaks like polio or Ebola. Tedros and his team have been grappling with a response to the US cuts as well as reduced outlays from wealthy European countries that are worried about an expansionist Russia and are putting more money toward defense, and less toward humanitarian and development aid. Matthew Kavanagh, the director of Georgetown University's Center for Global Health Policy and Politics, said other countries have used the US cut in aid as cover to do their maneuvering, with many countries in Europe reducing aid. The WHO faces an existential crisis that goes well beyond a budget gap to the question of whether this sort of multilateralism can succeed in addressing global health in this new era of nationalism and misinformation, he said, alluding to discord between many countries that could cost lives. Literally millions will likely die needlessly on the current trajectory and the world's health ministers do not seem capable of a coherent response, Kavanagh added. Pandemic preparedness on the agenda On tap for the nine-day World Health Assembly are two major advances that are aimed to buttress WHO's financial strength and bolster the world's ability to cope with future pandemics. Member countries are expected to agree to raise annual dues, known as assessed contributions, by 20% to support WHO finances and reduce dependency on governments' voluntary contributions which change each year and make up over half of the budget. They are also expected to agree to a hard-wrought pandemic treaty that was born of a desire to avoid any replay of the patchy, unequal response to Covid-19 when the next and inevitable, most experts say pandemic hits. Among other things, the treaty would guarantee that countries that share critical samples of viruses will receive any resulting tests, medicines and vaccines and give WHO up to 20% of such products to make sure poorer countries can have access to them. Every World Health Assembly is significant, but this year's is especially so," Tedros said. "This is truly a historic moment. The treaty's effectiveness will face doubts when the US which poured billions into speedy work by pharmaceutical companies to develop Covid-19 vaccines is sitting out, and because countries face no penalties if they ignore it, a common issue in international law. Kavanagh said passage of the treaty could be a significant victory evidence that the US government may no longer be indispensable in global health and could offer an opportunity for developing nations in the global South over the longer term. Management shake-up as critics blast WHO Trump has long derided WHO, including back in his first term when he pulled the United States out over its alleged kowtowing to China and other alleged missteps in the Covid pandemic. President Joe Biden put the US back in. On his first day back in office in January, Trump signed an executive order to pause future transfers of US government funds to the WHO, recall US government staff working with it, and announce a formal pullout by next January under a one-year timetable required under US law. Other opponents continue to lash out at WHO. CitizenGo, an activist group that supports right-to-life and religious liberty issues, protested Monday against the pandemic treaty outside the UN compound in Geneva where WHO's meeting was taking place. The rally included a balloon sculpture in the shape of the world and a banner inveighing against globalist elites and showing an image of Tedros and billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, a major WHO supporter, shaking hands while surrounded by dollars. In the aftermath of Covid, the WHO got together and thought was a good idea to centralize even more power, said CitizenGo campaigner Sebastian Lukomski, accusing WHO of an effort to "remove more fundamental freedoms and not learn from the mistakes that were taking place during Covid. In the run-up to the assembly, WHO has been cleaning house and cutting costs. At a meeting on its budget last week, Tedros a former Ethiopian health and foreign minister announced a shake-up of top management that included the exit of key adviser Dr. Michael Ryan from the job as emergencies chief. Tedros said last week that the loss of US funds and other assistance have left the WHO with a salary gap of more than $500 million.
Times of Oman
20-05-2025
- Health
- Times of Oman
India sends delegation to 78th World Health Assembly, reaffirms commitment to global health cooperation
Geneva: Reaffirming its commitment towards global health cooperation, India has sent a delegation to participate in the 78th World Health Assembly commencing in Geneva, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), shared on Monday. Providing the details in a post on X, the MoHFW said that the Indian delegation is being led by Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. It further noted that India's participation reflects the continued commitment towards strengthening global health systems and advancing international collaboration. "Today marks the commencement of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva. The Indian delegation, led by Ms. Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, is actively participating in the Assembly, reflecting India's continued commitment to strengthening global health systems and advancing international collaboration." As per the World Health Organisation, the 78th World Health Assembly is being held in Geneva from May 19-27. The theme of this year's Health Assembly is, "One World for Health." Notable highlights from the 78th Session would include, May 19 that marks the opening og the Assembly, with deliberations on the Pandemic Agreement in the afternoon. On May 20, it is expected that the adoption of the Pandemic Agreement would take place along with a discussion on the Proposed Programme Budget 2026-2027. May 21 would see a Ministerial Roundtable on data and sustainable financing and May 23 would see the presentation of the public health prizes and awards, the details were shared by WHO in an earlier post on X. The most recent update has been the election of Dr Teodoro Javier Herbosa from the Philippines as President of the 78th World Health Assembly. At the World health assemsbly, member States and the WHO Secretariat will have to reconcile a significant funding shortfall ahead of the next two-year programme budget. While fully funding WHO's growing mandate of work has long faced challenges, the United States' intended withdrawal from the Organization has further strained the budget. A planned 20% increase in mandatory member contributions that was years in the making will be up for adoption at WHA78, offering a potential boost--but in a constrained fiscal climate, its approval is uncertain. Broader governance and staffing reforms will also be on the agenda.
Reuters
19-05-2025
- Health
- Reuters
World Health Organization members vote in favour of global pandemic agreement
GENEVA, May 19 (Reuters) - Members of the World Health Organization voted emphatically in favour of a potentially groundbreaking global treaty on improving pandemic preparedness at the World Health Assembly on Monday. 124 countries voted in favour, after Slovakia called for a vote on Monday, as its COVID-19 vaccine sceptic prime minister demanded that his country challenge the adoption of the agreement. No countries voted against, while 11 countries, including Poland, Israel, Italy, Russia, Slovakia and Iran abstained. The draft accord, which addresses structural inequities about how drugs or vaccines and health tools are developed, will be formally adopted on Tuesday in a plenary session at the World Health Assembly in Geneva. However, it will not formally come into effect until an annex on pathogen sharing is negotiated, which could take up to two years, after which states will have to ratify the accord.
India Gazette
19-05-2025
- Health
- India Gazette
India sends delegation to 78th World Health Assembly, reaffirms commitment to global health cooperation
Geneva [Switzerland], May 19 (ANI): Reaffirming its commitment towards global health cooperation, India has sent a delegation to participate in the 78th World Health Assembly commencing in Geneva, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), shared on Monday. Providing the details in a post on X, the MoHFW said that the Indian delegation is being led by Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. It further noted that India's participation reflects the continued commitment towards strengthening global health systems and advancing international collaboration. 'Today marks the commencement of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva. The Indian delegation, led by Ms. Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, is actively participating in the Assembly, reflecting India's continued commitment to strengthening global health systems and advancing international collaboration.' As per the World Health Organisation, the 78th World Health Assembly is being held in Geneva from May 19-27. The theme of this year's Health Assembly is, 'One World for Health.' Notable highlights from the 78th Session would include, May 19 that marks the opening og the Assembly, with deliberations on the Pandemic Agreement in the afternoon. On May 20, it is expected that the adoption of the Pandemic Agreement would take place along with a discussion on the Proposed Programme Budget 2026-2027. May 21 would see a Ministerial Roundtable on data and sustainable financing and May 23 would see the presentation of the public health prizes and awards, the details were shared by WHO in an earlier post on X. The most recent update has been the election of Dr Teodoro Javier Herbosa from the Philippines as President of the 78th World Health Assembly. At the World health assemsbly, member States and the WHO Secretariat will have to reconcile a significant funding shortfall ahead of the next two-year programme budget. While fully funding WHO's growing mandate of work has long faced challenges, the United States' intended withdrawal from the Organization has further strained the budget. A planned 20% increase in mandatory member contributions that was years in the making will be up for adoption at WHA78, offering a potential boost--but in a constrained fiscal climate, its approval is uncertain. Broader governance and staffing reforms will also be on the agenda. (ANI)
