WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Health)

Context: The World Health Assembly recently passed a resolution highlighting the increasing impact of climate change on health and called for radical measures to counter health risks.,

World Health Assembly

• About: This  Assembly is the main decision-making body of WHO.
• Members: 194 Member States.
• Annual Meeting: Every year, generally in May.
• Headquarter: Geneva, Switzerland.
• Health Goals and Strategies: At the Health Assembly, country delegates make decisions on health goals and strategies that will guide their own public health work and the work of the WHO Secretariat to move the world towards better health and well-being for all.
• Reporting and Implementation: The Health Assembly also serves as a forum for reporting back on the implementation of the areas of work set, in order to determine what has been achieved and decide on strategies for addressing the gaps.

International Health Regulations (IHR 2005)

• About: The IHR are an instrument of international law that is legally-binding on 196 countries, including the 194 WHO Member States.
• Entered into force on: 15 June 2007
• Basis of Amendments: These amendments were based on 300 proposals made by member countries following the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Negotiation Challenges: The negotiation process for the amendments faced several deadlocks by various countries.
• India's Role: India played a constructive role in crafting the Instrument, which aims to operationalize equity for an equitable response by developing countries to Public Health Emergencies.
• Objectives: To improve countries' ability to prepare for and respond to Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC) and Pandemic Emergencies (PE).

o The amendments include provisions to facilitate equitable access to relevant health products during PHEIC and PE.

• Financial Support: They also target the mobilization of financial resources to support developing countries in building, strengthening, and maintaining the core capacities required under the IHR (2005).