Last Chance Meeting To Agree On How WHO Engages With Non-Government Actors In April

World Health Organization members last week agreed to meet for a final session in April to discuss the framework regulating the engagement of the organisation with “non-state actors,” such as non-governmental and philanthropy organisations, and the private sector.

On 30 January, WHO Executive Board (EB) members agreed on a draft decision which had been suggested by the WHO Programme, Budget and Administration Committee (PBAC) on the issue of the framework of engagement between the WHO and non-state actors.

The 138th WHO EB took place from 25-30 January.

The agenda item on the engagement of non-state actors was discussed earlier in the week, without a decision being taken, as the chair of the open-ended meeting, Julio Mercado of Argentina, was tasked to find compromise before the end of the EB (IPW, WHO, 27 January 2016). At issue is, for instance, the ability of stakeholders to place an expert in WHO to work on a particular project.

The EB decided to adopt the decision as suggested [pdf] by the PBAC:

– “endorse the request of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Meeting to extend its mandate, so that it may resume its work for a final session from 25 to 27 April 2016, in order to submit a consensus text of the draft framework and a draft resolution to the Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly through the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee; and

– request the Secretariat to present an objective and balanced report on the implications for WHO of the implementation of the framework, well in advance of the final session.”

On 27 January in the Board meeting, the issue was that some countries wished to have the implications report before the final session, while others, such as most developing countries taking the floor, wanted to have the implications report after the final session, so to avoid the risk of delaying discussions and reopening paragraphs of the draft framework which had already been agreed upon.

The decision on the implications report might have the potential to derail the FENSA discussion, which is aimed at giving some rules to WHO’s engagement with the non-state actors, according to some sources.

The draft framework as it stands is in document EB138/7 [pdf].

On the timing of the implications report, Mercado proposed that the April meeting starts considering the paragraphs of the text that have not been agreed on, with an effort to reach consensus, then to move on to issues on implementation of the framework and the resolution with potential necessary adjustments, he said.

The chair added that he proposes to work out the details of this approach and the best use of time during April meeting in close consultation with regional coordinators prior to the meeting.

He said he would devote enough time in the first part of the meeting to discuss thoroughly the remaining paragraphs of the framework, and to allocate sufficient time in the second part of the meeting to discuss and take action on the issue of implementation.

 

Image Credits: Catherine Saez