Journal No. 4    12 November 2020

The Journal is intended to give delegates, representatives and other participants advance indications of the Health Assembly’s tentative programme of work. The Journal does not constitute an official record of the Health Assembly’s proceedings. The Journal is published in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish on every working day during the Health Assembly.

N° 4 Programme of meetings for Thursday, 12 November 2020

Time	Commission A Virtual Room 1	Commission B Virtual Room 2
10:00	Sixth meeting	Fifth meeting
14:00	Seventh meeting	Sixth meeting

Table of contents

1. Programme of work of the Health Assembly

2. Report of meetings

3. Arrangement for the conduct of discussion in meetings

4. Announcements

Interpretation

Interpretation will be provided in the official languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) to help delegates to follow the discussions. Delegates are requested to speak clearly and at a normal speaking pace to enable clear and accurate interpretation through the virtual platform. To facilitate this further, delegates are requested to submit copies of all statements at least one hour in advance by email to interpret@who.int. Clearly indicate the name of the country delegation/group and agenda item in the subject line of the email.

 

Note: a statement of three minutes at normal speaking pace is equivalent to approximately 330 words.

 

Delegates participating remotely are also particularly requested to:

·        Use a high-quality headset and ensure a soundproof and echo-free room

·        Adjust speech to account for the remote environment (speak clearly, avoid excessive use of acronyms, speak into the microphone)

·        Speak at a moderate pace (110 words/minute)

1. Programme of work of the Health Assembly

Thursday, 12 November 2020

Sixth and seventh meetings of Committee A

10:00 and 14:00

Review and update on matters considered by the Executive Board

·       Item 11.1 continued

Primary health care

– Document A73/4

·       Item 11.2 continued

Follow-up to the high-level meetings of the United Nations General Assembly on health-related issues

o   Universal health coverage: moving together to build a healthier world

– Document A73/4

o   Political declaration of the third high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases

– Document A73/5

·       Item 11.3 continued

Global vaccine action plan

– Documents A73/4, A73/6, A73/7, A73/A/CONF./1 and A73/A/CONF./1 Add.1

·       Item 11.4 continued

Accelerating the elimination of cervical cancer as a global public health problem

– Document A73/4

·       Item 11.5 continued

Ending tuberculosis

– Document A73/4

·       Item 11.6 continued

Epilepsy

– Documents A73/5, A73/A/CONF./2 and A73/A/CONF./2 Add.1

·       Item 11.7 continued

Integrated, people-centred eye care, including preventable blindness and impaired vision

– Document A73/4

·       Item 11.8 continued

Neglected tropical diseases

– Documents A73/8, A73/A/CONF./3 and A73/A/CONF./3 Add.1

·       Item 11.9 continued

Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property

– Document A73/4

Finalization of resolutions/decisions and reports

Fifth and sixth meetings of Committee B

10:00 and 14:00

Draft second report of Committee B

Document (Draft) A73/46 containing three decisions entitled:

-       WHO programmatic and financial report for 2018/2019, including audited financial statements for 2019

-       Human resources for health

-       Status of collection of assessed contributions, including Member States in arrears in the payment of their contributions to an extent that would justify invoking Article 7 of the Constitution

Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan

– Documents A73/15, A73/B/CONF./1 and A73/B/CONF./1 Add.1

Finalization of resolutions/decisions and reports

Friday, 13 November 2020

Third Plenary meeting

10:00

Awards

– Document A73/INF./1

Reports of the main committees

First report of Committee B

Document (Draft) A73/44 containing five decisions entitled:

-       Report of the External Auditor

-       Appointment of representatives to the WHO Staff Pension Committee

-       Maternal, infant and young child nutrition

-       Evaluation of the election of the Director-General of the World Health Organization

-       Data and innovation: draft global strategy on digital health

and two resolutions entitled:

-       Evaluation of the election of the Director-General of the World Health Organization

-       Amendments to the Staff Regulations and Staff Rules

First report of Committee A

Document (Draft) A73/45 containing one resolution entitled:

-       Strengthening preparedness for health emergencies: implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005)

Second report of Committee B

Document (Draft) A73/46 containing three decisions entitled:

-       WHO programmatic and financial report for 2018/2019, including audited financial statements for 2019

-       Human resources for health

-       Status of collection of assessed contributions, including Member States in arrears in the payment of their contributions to an extent that would justify invoking Article 7 of the Constitution

 

Closure of the Health Assembly

2. Report of meetings

Fourth meeting of Committee A

In the Chair:
Dr Bjørn-Inge Larsen (Norway)

Draft first report of Committee A

The Chair opened the meeting and called upon the Vice-Chair, (Ms Tamara Mawhinney [Canada]), to read out the first draft report of Committee A, document (draft) A73/45 containing one resolution entitled:

-       Strengthening preparedness for health emergencies: implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005)

The resolution was approved and the first draft report of Committee A was adopted.

Review and update on matters considered by the Executive Board

·        Item 13.3: Influenza preparedness

·        Item 13.4: Cholera prevention and control

·        Item 13.5: Poliomyelitis

o   Polio eradication

o   Polio transition planning and polio post-certification

The Chair opened the agenda subitems and drew the Committee’s attention to the relevant documents A73/4, A73/4 Add.1, A73/12 and A73/13. In addition to noting the reports, the Health Assembly was invited to provide advice on the best way forward to support the development, finalization and implementation of national polio transition plans. It was noted that draft decision WHA73(14) Influenza Preparedness was adopted through the written silence procedure on 3 August and would not be reopened during the discussion. Comments were invited from the floor.

The Secretariat responded to issues raised and the Chair then gave the floor to Dr Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director for Africa, followed by Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.

At the invitation of the Chair, the Committee noted the reports and the agenda item was closed.

Review and update on matters considered by the Executive Board

·        Item 11.1: Primary health care

·        Item 11.2: Follow-up to the high-level meetings of the United Nations General Assembly on health-related issues

o   Universal health coverage: moving together to build a healthier world

o   Political declaration of the third high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases

·        Item 11.3: Global vaccine action plan

·        Item 11.4: Accelerating the elimination of cervical cancer as a global public health problem

·        Item 11.5: Ending tuberculosis

·        Item 11.6: Epilepsy

·        Item 11.7: Integrated, people-centred eye care, including preventable blindness and impaired vision

·        Item 11.8: Neglected tropical diseases

·        Item 11.9: Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property

The Chair opened agenda item 11 and drew the Committee’s attention to the subitems and their associated documents A73/4, A73/5, A73/6, A73/7 and A73/8. The Committee was asked to consider the draft resolutions contained in documents A73/A/Conf./1 and A73/A/Conf./2, and the draft decision contained in document A73/A/Conf./3.

The Chair invited the Committee to consider specific questions under the agenda subitems:

Under agenda subitem 11.1: Primary Health Care, the Committee is invited to consider the draft operational framework for primary health care: transforming vision into action, which was prepared in response to decision EB146/18.

Under subitem 11.3: Global vaccine action plan, the Health Assembly is invited to provide guidance on next steps. It was noted that decision WHA73(9) Immunization Agenda 2030 was adopted on 3 August and while it would not be reopened, a new draft resolution under this agenda item would be considered separately.

Under subitem 11.8: Neglected tropical diseases, the Health Assembly is invited to consider the Draft road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021–2030 and provide further guidance on a set of questions as indicated in the report. The draft decision under this agenda item would be considered separately.

The Chair announced that the following decisions and resolutions, adopted on 3 August through the written silence procedure, would not be reopened during this discussion:

·        Decision WHA73(9) on the Immunization Agenda 2030.

·        Resolution WHA73.2 on cervical cancer prevention and control.

·        Resolution WHA73.3 on Tuberculosis research and innovation.

·        Resolution WHA73.4 on Integrated people centred eye care, and

·        Decision WHA73(11) on the Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property.

The Chair informed the Committee that the draft resolutions under subitem 11.3: Global vaccine action plan and subitem 11.6: Epilepsy, as well as the draft decision under subitem 11.8: Neglected tropical diseases, would be considered individually after completion of the debate.

Comments were invited from the floor. Due to time constraints, the Chair announced that consideration of this item would resume at the next meeting of Committee A.

The meeting was adjourned.

Fourth meeting of Committee B

In the Chair:
Mr Amadou Thiam (Mali), Vice-Chair ad interim

The Chair opened the meeting and informed the Committee that the following Member States had registered and were therefore represented at the resumed session of the Health Assembly: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Timor-Leste and Uzbekistan.

Draft first report of Committee B

The Chair invited the Rapporteur, (Mr Tashi Penjor [Bhutan]), to read out the first draft report of Committee B, document (draft) A73/44 containing five decisions entitled:

-       Report of the External Auditor

-       Appointment of representatives to the WHO Staff Pension Committee

-       Maternal, infant and young child nutrition

-       Evaluation of the election of the Director-General of the World Health Organization

-       Data and innovation: draft global strategy on digital health

and two resolutions entitled:

-       Evaluation of the election of the Director-General of the World Health Organization

-       Amendments to the Staff Regulations and Staff Rules

The first draft report of Committee B was adopted.

Financial matters

·       Item 20.1: WHO programmatic and financial report for 2018–2019, including audited financial statements for 2019

·       Item 20.2: Status of collection of assessed contributions, including Member States in arrears in the payment of their contributions to an extent that would justify invoking Article 7 of the Constitution

The Chair opened the item and invited comments from the floor. The Committee adopted the draft decision contained in document A73/37.

Regarding item 20.2: Status of collection of assessed contributions, including Member States in arrears in the payment of their contributions to an extent that would justify invoking Article 7 of the Constitution, the Committee accepted the proposal of the Chair as read out during the meeting.

The item was closed.

WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel

The Chair opened the item and invited comments from the floor. The Secretariat responded to questions raised. The Committee noted the report contained in document A73/9 and adopted the draft decision contained in document A73/B/CONF./2.

The agenda item was closed

Progress reports

– Documents A73/32 and A73/32 Add.1

A.    Global action plan on the public health response to dementia 2017–2025 (decision WHA70(17) (2017))

B.    Towards universal eye health: a global action plan 2014–2019 (resolution WHA66.4 (2013))

C.   Eradication of dracunculiasis (resolution WHA64.16 (2011))

D.   Improving the prevention, diagnosis and clinical management of sepsis (resolution WHA70.7 (2017))

E.    Smallpox eradication: destruction of variola virus stocks (resolution WHA60.1(2007))

F.    Addressing the burden of snakebite envenoming (resolution WHA71.5 (2018))

G.   Strengthening integrated, people-centred health services (resolution WHA69.24 (2016))

H.   Reproductive health: strategy to accelerate progress towards the attainment of international development goals and targets (resolution WHA57.12 (2004))

I.     Health and the environment: road map for an enhanced global response to the adverse health effects of air pollution (decision WHA69(11) (2016))

J.    Female genital mutilation (resolution WHA61.16 (2008))

K.    Public health dimension of the world drug problem (decision WHA70(18) (2017))

L.    The WHO strategy on research for health (resolution WHA63.21 (2010))

 

The Chair opened the item and informed the Committee that Member States have the opportunity to address this item through written statements.  The item was closed.

The Chair announced that the fifth meeting of Committee B would commence on Thursday 12 November at 10:00.

The meeting was adjourned.

Fifth meeting of Committee A

In the Chair:
Dr Bjørn-Inge Larsen (Norway)

Review and update on matters considered by the Executive Board

·        Item 11.1: Primary health care

·        Item 11.2: Follow-up to the high-level meetings of the United Nations General Assembly on health-related issues

o   Universal health coverage: moving together to build a healthier world

o   Political declaration of the third high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases

·        Item 11.3: Global vaccine action plan

·        Item 11.4 : Accelerating the elimination of cervical cancer as a global public health problem

·        Item 11.5: Ending tuberculosis

·        Item 11.6: Epilepsy

·        Item 11.7: Integrated, people-centred eye care, including preventable blindness and impaired vision

·        Item 11.8: Neglected tropical diseases

·        Item 11.9: Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property

The Chair opened the meeting and resumed the discussion of the agenda item. Delegates were invited to make a statement on all the subitems under agenda item 11.

The Chair announced that due to time constraints, discussion of this agenda item was suspended,  to resume at the next meeting of the Committee.

The meeting was adjourned.

3. Arrangement for the conduct of discussion in meetings

Individual statements by Member States and Associate Members must be limited to three minutes. Statements by Observers, invited representatives of United Nations and other participating intergovernmental organizations will be limited to two minutes. Statements by non-State actors in official relations with the Organization will be limited to one minute and regional and group statements will be limited to four minutes. To ensure accurate and clear interpretation through the virtual platform, copies of all statements should be submitted in advance by email to interpret@who.int. Clearly indicate the name of the delegation/group in the subject line of the email. All remote speakers should use headphones and microphones to ensure optimal sound quality for interpreters and listeners.

Member States, Associate Members, Observers, invited representatives of the United Nations and of other participating intergovernmental organizations and non-State actors are invited to post written statements on the website in the language of submission. In line with the guidelines for written statements outlined in decision EB146(17), statements by Member States may be provided in any of the six WHO official languages and should be limited to 500 words for individual statements and 800 words for group statements. Member States are advised to submit their statements to statements@who.int, clearly indicating the relevant agenda item or sub-item in the subject line.

Member States and Associate Members may submit a pre-recorded video statement in place of live interventions. Video statements may be uploaded at the following link: https://bit.ly/3nPXAUG. The following time limits will apply: Member States and Associate Members - 3 minutes and Group statements - 4 minutes. When uploading each video, please indicate clearly the relevant agenda item or sub-item in the description field. Videos received after the deadline, exceeding the time limits or labelled in such a way that the relevant agenda item or sub-item cannot be identified, may not be played. Video statements may be included in the live streaming and therefore will be included in the official records.

4. Announcements

The Zoom platform will be used for virtual sessions of WHA73. In order to ensure good sound quality on the virtual platform, please ensure that when taking the floor to deliver a statement, you select the language on the interpretation channel in which you are planning to speak and use high-quality headsets with echo cancelling microphones and webcam. We recommend that you use a personal computer, rather than a smartphone or tablet, and download the latest version of the Zoom software. Please deliver your statement at a moderate speed that allows for its interpretation and ensures your message is conveyed clearly and accurately.

For support related to the virtual platform, please send an email to GBS-support@who.int           

The Plenary sessions will be webcast in the six UN languages. The webcasts can be viewed on Mac and PCs, as well as all mobile devices including iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows-enabled phones.

Arabic:            https://player.4am.ch/who/20200518-19_wha73/player.html?lang=ar

Chinese:         https://player.4am.ch/who/20200518-19_wha73/player.html?lang=zh

English:           https://player.4am.ch/who/20200518-19_wha73/player.html?lang=en

French:           https://player.4am.ch/who/20200518-19_wha73/player.html?lang=fr

Russian:          https://player.4am.ch/who/20200518-19_wha73/player.html?lang=ru

Spanish:          https://player.4am.ch/who/20200518-19_wha73/player.html?lang=es

The World Health Assembly application allows you to receive updates on the WHA73 programme of work and access documentation directly on your mobile device. Scan the QR code below and download the application in your device.

 

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