WHO 66th World Health Assembly Agenda Item 11 - WHO Reform
Intervention by Manica Balasegaram, Médecins Sans Frontières
Thank you chair,
The question of reform of WHO has been the subject of numerous discussions and papers since 2011.
Médecins Sans Frontières appreciates the need for reform to make the agency a more effective institution that serves the interests of all Member States in their efforts to pursue the highest attainable standard of health.
When pursuing the reform agenda, Member States should ensure they safeguard the four core functions of the WHO. These, in MSF's perspective, are:
Firstly: Acting as the directing and coordinating authority on international health work and its governance and providing leadership on matters critical to health and health security;
Secondly: Setting norms and standards, and articulating policy options in a manner that is evidence-based and independent of conflicts of interest;
Thirdly: Supporting countries on the one hand, by catalysing evidence-based change, and providing technical support; and holding them to account on the other, by ensuring guidelines, norms, standards and resolutions are implemented, and ensuring a focus on health effects in trade or other international agreements;
And finally: Stimulating priority medical research and ensuring broad access to the fruits of research.
We call on Member States and the Director-General to ensure that WHO continues to be the directing and coordinating authority on international health work. It is of critical importance to strengthen and protect WHO's ability to play this role throughout the process of reform.
The question of financing is, in that sense, the key to successful reform and must be kept at the centre of all discussions. Adequate, regular budget support must be secured for the aforementioned core functions.
Predictable and adequate financing can ensure that WHO can fulfil its mandate as the world’s leading global health body through evidence-based policy that is free from outside pressure.
Thank you.