‘Historic’, ‘landmark’ and ‘groundbreaking’ were some of the adjectives thrown around about outcomes of the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva, which was held from 27 May – 1 June. Indeed, the discussions were so intensive that the World Health Organization Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, could barely speak by the end of the proceedings.
Below, we link you into some of the key news and outcomes: on climate change and health, transformative economics, International Health Regulations, social participation in healthcare, and more. Also see our preview of the discussions in a recent ICYMI column.
Pressure mounts for climate health action
A global push to address climate change as a health crisis has been boosted by a World Health Assembly resolution recognising climate change as an imminent threat to global health, and urging a step up in global and national health responses.
The Global Climate and Health Alliance welcomed the “landmark” resolution, adopted on 30 May, saying it demonstrated a clear political commitment by governments and WHO to scale up climate action as a public health priority.
Croakey readers who are disappointed by the lack of news on the implementation of the National Health and Climate Strategy in Australia may be especially interested in the resolution’s call to promote cooperation between national health ministries and relevant national authorities on climate change to address the interlinkages between the environment, the economy, health, nutrition and sustainable development.
The resolution calls “for a coherent and holistic approach to building resilience and addressing the root causes of climate change and climate-sensitive environmental and social determinants of health, taking into account the One Health approach…”
Croakey readers who are disappointed by the lack of investment and progress in developing the Australian Centre for Disease Control may also note the resolution’s advice for governments “to invest in climate adaptation measures that proactively address climate-related health impacts, including early warning systems for climate-related disease outbreaks and enhancing emergency preparedness and response, and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response”.
The Global Climate and Health Alliance noted that some key issues were absent from the final text: “While we welcome the Climate Change and Health Resolution, and we strongly encourage WHO Member States to adopt and implement it, the resolution text does not touch on several crucial issues,” said Rosie Tasker, Clean Air Liaison at the Alliance.
“Most notably the resolution lacks any mention of how fossil fuels are driving the climate crisis, or the need for a just transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy as a public health imperative. While there is recognition of health co-benefits, the resolution text remains vague on integrating climate into national health policies and health into national climate plans and strategies.
“In addition, more depth and clarity is needed on the resolution’s action to protect vulnerable populations, as the resolution lacks any mention of key groups such as the young, the elderly, LGBTQIA, or refugees and migrants, many of whom are already facing the brunt of the issue. To ensure that the health and climate response is equitable and just, these especially vulnerable groups must be explicitly addressed by government plans and policies.”
Croakey notes that the resolution also fails to address the issues for Indigenous peoples in any depth.
Jess Beagley, Policy Lead at the Global Climate and Health Alliance, said the intersection of climate and health had fallen between the cracks of national and intergovernmental processes for decades.
With the UNFCCC intersessional climate meetings in Bonn this week, and the COP29 international climate negotiations on the horizon, she said it was crucial that the health and climate community maintains and builds on this momentum from the WHA.
“We’re calling for urgent cross-sectoral action, beginning with eliminating the world’s dependence on fossil fuels to protect people’s health and wellbeing, and with investments in health systems and societies to better withstand challenges of the climate crisis.”
Now the resolution has been adopted, the WHO is expected to work on developing the Global Plan of Action on Climate Change and Health to drive this work throughout the organisation, alongside WHO’s strategy to make its own operations climate neutral by 2030.
Croakey reported recently that responding to the escalating health threats posed by climate change is one of six strategic priorities for the WHO under its newly approved work program for 2025-2028.
Transformative economics
Should Prime Ministers, Presidents and Treasurers be attending the World Health Assembly, in addition to Health Ministers?
It’s a timely question following the WHA’s adoption of a resolution, ‘Economics of health for all’, that urges governments to put health and wellbeing at the centre of policy-making, including economic policy, and to reframe spending on health as an investment rather than an expenditure.
The new resolution takes forward the recommendations of the WHO Council on the Economics of Health for All, and advises countries to restructure their economies to serve the health of people and the planet.
The resolution also urges governments:
- to implement, where appropriate, evidence-based and effective policy interventions at national level that reorient economic and innovation strategies towards health and well-being for all, including consideration for the needs of those in vulnerable situations
- to work towards shifting public and private investments from activities that are harmful for people’s health and well-being towards investments that improve them, including through enhancing corporate social responsibility
- to consider the mutually reinforcing linkages between the economy and the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment, critical to the resilience and stability of economies worldwide, requiring multisectoral and cost-effective actions and the prevention of drivers of biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change
- to address social and economic determinants that result in health inequities.
As previously noted at Croakey, Minister Mark Butler was spotted at the WHA waving a flag for the Government’s Measuring What Matters framework?’, although the Treasurer has gone noticeably quiet on concepts such as wellbeing budgets.
“The world has won”
Health Policy Watch reports that after two years of intensive negotiations, the WHA finally passed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) and committed to completing pandemic agreement talks within a year.
The IHR is a legally binding international instrument aimed at preventing the international spread of disease, and requires countries to conduct surveillance for potential international health threats and report those to WHO.
The COVID-19 pandemic showed weaknesses in the IHR, including that it did not mention “pandemic”. Member states submitted over 300 proposed amendments to the Working Group on Amendments to the IHR, chaired by New Zealand’s Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Dr Abdullah Asiri of Saudi Arabia.
Health Policy Watch reported that Dr Tedros said the amendments “will bolster countries’ ability to detect and respond to future outbreaks and pandemics by strengthening their own national capacities, and coordination between fellow states, on disease surveillance, information sharing and response”.
See the Director-General’s report on the IHR and the draft resolution with the amendments.
Social participation
People, communities and civil society would have a stronger voice in influencing the decisions that affect their health and well-being under a WHA resolution stressing the importance of social participation in national health planning and implementation.
According to a WHO statement, the resolution aims to tackle health inequities and the erosion of trust in health systems, which is crucial in the face of the unprecedented challenges the world is facing such as climate change, conflicts, and pandemic threats.
Growing evidence shows the transformative potential of social participation to foster trust in health systems, advance equity and align healthcare with people’s lived experiences. Two-way dialogues between government and the people they serve can lead to health policies, strategies and services that are more responsive to people’s needs, particularly those in vulnerable and marginalised situations, says the statement.
Although the WHO statement is headlined as being about primary care, the resolution itself has a wider focus, on “health-related decision making”.
The resolution recognises “that empowering people, communities and civil society for equitable, diverse and inclusive participation involves strengthening their capacities to meaningfully engage, financing their participation, valuing lived and living experiences, and addressing power imbalances in the design of the participatory space”.
Other developments
Read about other WHA developments, including on antimicrobial resistance, a global health and peace initiative, and a resolution for sports events to be developed “as platforms for addressing critical public health challenges, including health emergency preparedness and response, noncommunicable diseases, violence and injuries, mental health and social inclusion”.
See Croakey’s archive of articles on the WHO
