The World Health Assembly (WHA) will take place from 22 to 28 May. This is the General Assembly of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Our colleague Jasper Thys, a policy and campaign officer, will be travelling to Geneva with the People’s Movement for Health to take part in WHO Watch. He explains all this to us in this interview.
What is WHO Watch?
“The WHO Watch is an initiative of the People's Health Movement (PHM) which enables activists to closely monitor the workings of the World Health Organisation (WHO), both at the World Health Assembly in May and at the Executive Board meeting in January. Together with our team, we attend the meetings and follow the debates. Under normal circumstances, we also meet with delegates from WHO member states in Geneva, but this year COVID-19 restrictions will not allow this. Based on our observations, we publish findings and draw up recommendations regarding the main items on the agenda. For WHO Watch, PHM collaborates with other organisations campaigning for more democratic health policies at a global level. The WHO Watch team therefore examines the WHO’s work through the critical lens of social movements.”
How is the WHO organised?
“The WHO comprises two main governing bodies: the World Health Assembly and the Executive Board. The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body in which all Member States are represented. It determines WHO policy, oversees the budget and sets the general guidelines for the work of the Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The World Health Assembly meets every year in May. The WHO Executive Board comprises 34 elected Member States. Their term of office is three years. The Executive Board’s main task is to implement the decisions taken by the General Assembly. The Board meets every year in January.”
What are the items on the WHA agenda this year?
“The WHO General Assembly lasts a whole week. There are a great many issues to discuss. The agenda covers a wide range of health-related topics, such as cancer and diabetes prevention, tuberculosis screening and tackling the global healthcare workforce crisis. They also consider how to tackle health crises, which is particularly important during a pandemic. Finally, member states address a range of technical issues. These may include, for example, how the WHO could better support its member states in their health policies, or how the organisation could be made stronger and more effective. The organisation does indeed face various challenges that do not always allow it to fully fulfil its important role as leader.”
How can we strengthen the WHO?
“The WHO has a very broad programme but has only limited resources with which to carry it out satisfactorily. Over the years, the budget has been increased, but there is a funding problem. Contributions from Member States account for only 17% of the WHO’s total budget. The WHO is free to choose how it wishes to allocate this portion of the budget. The remaining 83% consists of unrestricted contributions, which the WHO cannot use as it sees fit. Donors, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, decide how their donations are to be spent. The WHO is therefore unable to operate freely. Furthermore, social movements and grassroots organisations are having less and less of a say within the WHO. They are less involved in decision-making and are excluded from important meetings. This is a significant problem that must be addressed as a matter of urgency. During our interventions at the WHA, we will emphasise this point.”
What can we expect from the WHA?
“With a few exceptions, most WHO decisions are not binding on member states. We should not expect any major change in direction at the WHA. Nevertheless, the decisions taken at the WHA shape international health policy. Many member states follow the WHO’s recommendations, advice and technical guidelines. The WHO has therefore played an important role during the pandemic. In response to the crisis, it published essential information on the spread of the coronavirus and provided support to member states in tackling Covid-19. If the WHO tackles these challenges, it can increase its long-term impact. That is what we aim to achieve with WHO Watch.”
See also: World Health Day: «Take action and help provide care!»
