WHO approves $3, 977 million for the next biennium

The World Health Assembly (WHA) has by a resolution approved the proposed programme budget in its entirety for the first time in World Health Organization’s history with $3, 977 million approved for the next biennium (2014–2015).

It was in response to the request of Member States for a realistic budget based on income and expenditure patterns.

This was part of 24 resolutions and five decisions adopted by the nearly 2000 delegates representing the World Health Organization (WHO) Member States after seven days of discussions at the 66th World Health Assembly in Geneva.

A report made available to the Ghana News Agency on Monday said the resolutions adopted are on a range of new public health measures and recommendations aimed at securing greater health benefits for all.

A resolution on disability urges Member States to implement as states parties the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and develop national action plans and improve data collection.

It encourages Member States to ensure that all mainstream health services were inclusive of persons with disabilities; provide more support to informal caregivers, and ensure that people with disabilities had access to services that would help them acquire or restore skills and functional abilities.

The resolution also requests the Director-General to provide support to Member States in implementing the recommendations of the World Report on Disability; to mainstream the health needs of children and adults with disabilities in WHO’s technical work; to ensure that WHO itself was inclusive of people with disabilities; and to support the High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly in September 2013.

A resolution on e-Health standardization and interoperability notes the importance of standardized, accurate, timely data and health information to the functioning of health systems and services while highlighting that the security of this information and privacy of personal clinical data, must be protected.

Also noted was the evaluation of information and communications technologies in health interventions.

The resolution further emphasizes that health-related, global, top-level domain names should be operated in a way that protects public health and was consistent with global public health objectives.

It also held that names and acronyms of intergovernmental organizations, including WHO, should also be protected.

In another resolution on Global Vaccine Action Plan, Member States reiterated their support for it, in order to help prevent millions of deaths by 2020 through more equitable access to vaccines for people in all communities.

The WHA is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland and is the decision-making body of the WHO. It is attended by delegations from WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board.