PHA-Exchange> WRAPPING UP WHO MEETING (WHA)

[Claudio]

From: "Vern Weitzel" <vern.weitzel at undp.org>
> WRAPPING UP WORLD MEETING, UN HEALTH BODY ACTS ON CANCER, IMMUNIZATION
> New York, May 25 2005  1:00PM

> As it
<"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2005/pr_wha06/en/index.html">
concluded its
> annual session today in Geneva, the United Nations health policy-making
body adopted key resolutions
> affecting global public health, including strategies on global
immunization and
>
<"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2005/pr_wha05/en/index.html">
cancer prevention and
> control.
>
> Highlights of the meeting of the
> <"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2005/wha58/en/index.html">World
Health Assembly, which
> oversees the work of the UN World Health Organization (WHO), also included
adoption of the revised
> <"http://www.who.int/csr/ihr/en/">International Health Regulations that
govern national and
> international response to disease outbreaks, and the approval of the
programme budget for 2006-2007,
> which includes a 4 per cent increase in the regular budget.
>
> The Assembly also established <"http://www.wbdd.org/">World Blood Donor
Day as an official event to
> be celebrated every 14 June.
>
> The resolution on cancer, which calls on Member States to develop national
cancer strategies, was a
> priority because of the worldwide increase in the disease in both
developing and developed
> countries, according to <"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO. Cancer is now the
second leading cause of
> death in the world, with more than 20 million people now living with it
and seven million dying
> annually.
>
> "This resolution provides the impetus for countries to address the cancer
health crisis," said WHO
> Director-General Dr. Lee Jong-wook. "Given the impact of cancer on public
health, I am convening an
> advisory committee of leading experts on this issue to develop a global
cancer control strategy."
>
> Aimed at vaccine-preventable diseases, the Global Immunization Vision and
Strategy
> (<"http://www.unicef.org/immunization/index_26935.html">GIVS) was designed
by WHO together with the
> UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF). Such diseases kill
more than two million
> people every year, two thirds of whom are young children.
>
> "One in four children is still deprived of life-saving vaccines that
should be within reach," said
> UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman. "This new strategy recognized that
if we are to improve
> survival, immunization must be sustained year in and year out."
>
> The World Health Assembly convened on 16 May. More than 2,200 people
attended, representing WHO's
> 192 Member States as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and
other observers.