PHM-Exch> UNGA Resolution on Global health and foreign policy: strengthening health system resilience through affordable health care for all

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: South Centre <south at southcentre.int>






SOUTHNEWS
No. 358,  21 December 2020

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 *UNGA Resolution on Global health and foreign policy: strengthening health
system resilience through affordable health care for all, adopted 14
December *
On 14 December, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on
“Global health and foreign policy: strengthening health system resilience
through affordable health care for all”, A/RES/75/130. The resolution was
adopted by vote, 181-1-0, in contrast to previous resolutions on the topic
adopted yearly by consensus based on proposals by the core group of the
Global Health and Foreign Policy Initiative.

The draft resolution A/75/L.41 was presented by Brazil, Equatorial Guinea,
Fiji, France, Indonesia, Mali, Mongolia, Norway, Senegal, Singapore, South
Africa, Thailand and Viet Nam. Informal consultations were led by
Indonesia.

The resolution reflects consensus on a number of issues. One core issue is
the need for continued leadership, multilateral commitment and
collaboration to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution also calls
for urgent support to fund and close the funding gap for the Access to
COVID-19 Tools Accelerator and its mechanisms, such as the COVID-19 Vaccine
Global Access (COVAX) Facility, and to support equitable distribution of
diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, and further explore innovative
financing mechanisms aimed at ensuring continuity and strengthening of
essential health services. The resolution also notes the need for all
States parties to fully implement and comply with the International Health
Regulations (2005) which requires adequate capacity of all countries to
prevent, detect, assess, notify and respond to public health threats, and
support research and development, to prevent and control emerging and
re-emerging infectious diseases that pose a risk to global public health.
It also calls upon Member States to strengthen the resilience of their
health systems as an integral part of their preparedness for health
emergencies.

As in past years, the resolution highlights the need to address health
inequities and inequalities, the importance of the 2030 Agenda and scaling
up efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), acknowledging that
primary health care is a cornerstone of a sustainable health system for
UHC.  It urges Member States to strengthen national health systems through
ensuring affordable health care for all, with a focus on primary health
care, as well as the availability, accessibility and affordability of
quality health services and quality, safe, effective, affordable and
essential medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and health technologies.

Illicit financial flows, in particular those caused by tax evasion,
corruption and transnational organized crime, are noted as reducing the
availability of vital resources for responding to and recovering from the
COVID-19 pandemic and financing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Accordingly, the resolution calls upon Member States to address the
challenges of preventing and combating illicit financial flows and
strengthening international cooperation and good practices on assets return
and recovery.

The resolution calls for action by Member States to ensure access to
medicines as one of the fundamental elements of a robust health system
based on universal health coverage. In this regard, the resolution
reaffirms the 2001 World Trade Organization Doha Declaration on the TRIPS
Agreement and Public Health, which recognizes that intellectual property
rights should be interpreted and implemented in a manner supportive of the
right of Member States to protect public health and, in particular, to
promote access to medicines for all. The resolution also adds, at the
request of the EU, that actions should not undermine incentives to
innovation. The resolution also reaffirms the WHO Global Strategy and Plan
of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property, designed
to promote medicinal innovation, build capacity and improve access to
medicines, and encourages further discussions on access to medicines.

Importantly, the resolution calls for increasing transparency of prices of
medicines, vaccines, medical devices, diagnostics, assistive products,
cell- and gene-based therapies and other health technologies across the
value chain, including through improved regulations, in accordance with
national and regional legal frameworks and contexts, to address the global
concern about the high prices of some health products. In this regard, it
encourages the WHO to continue to convene the Fair Pricing Forum to discuss
the affordability and transparency of prices and costs relating to health
products as one of the fundamental features of a robust health system based
on universal health coverage.

The resolution also notes the need to enhance cooperation at the national,
regional and global levels to address antimicrobial resistance, using an
integrated and systems-based One Health approach, and in this regard
welcoming the launch of the One Health Global Leaders Group on
Antimicrobial Resistance.

Among the issues that were contested, was whether to refer to the origin of
the COVID-19 outbreak and to the ongoing independent evaluation of the
international health response to COVID-19, which were not included the
resolution.

The US disassociated from references to the WHO in the text, in particular
the reference to recognizing the key leadership role of the World Health
Organization within the broader United Nations response,  noting that it
has submitted a notice of withdrawal from the World Health Organization,
which, according to the US statement, will become effective on July 6, 2021.

The full text of the can be found at resolution A/RES/75/130
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