World Health Assembly to be cut short due to swine flu

Earlier this week, the UN announced that the sixty-second World Health Assembly would be cut short due to global concerns about the spread of influenza A (H1N1) – swine flu.  Instead of the previously scheduled 10 day meeting (May 18-27), the WHA will be cut in half and will run from May 18-22, 2009.

Due to the shortened meeting, discussion on many global public health issues has been postponed until the next World Health Assembly in May 2010.

The following is an official UN Statement on the revised WHA agenda:

Due to the evolving situation with regard to influenza A (H1N1), and the stated wish of Member States to minimize the absence of senior public health officials from their national constituencies, a meeting was convened on 7 May attended by, inter alia,  representatives of the Member States. Recognizing that unusual circumstances called for a flexible and pragmatic approach, and without prejudicing the role of the General Committee on the composition of the provisional agenda and on the duration of the Health Assembly, those present agreed in principle to shortening the duration of the World Health Assembly and Executive Board. Through reducing the number of items on the provisional agenda the World Health Assembly would be reduced to five working days (18 to 22 May 2009), and the 125th session of the Executive Board would be convened on the Saturday, for one day, on 23 May 2009.

To that end please find attached a revised provisional agenda which will be submitted to the General Committee on Monday 18 May 2009 for its consideration.

The Provisional agenda (reflecting proposed amendments discussed on 7 May 2009) is included below:

SIXTY-SECOND WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY
(Geneva, Switzerland – 18–22 May 2009)

PLENARY
1. Opening of the Assembly
1.1 Appointment of the Committee on Credentials
1.2 Election of the President
1.3 Election of the five Vice-Presidents, the Chairmen of the main committees, and establishment of the General Committee
1.4 Adoption of the agenda and allocation of items to the main committees
2. Reports of the Executive Board on its 123rd and 124th sessions
3. Address by Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General
4. Invited speaker
5. Admission of new Members and Associate Members [if any]
6. Executive Board: election
7. Awards
8. Reports of the main committees
9. Closure of the Assembly

COMMITTEE A
10. Opening of the Committee1
11. Medium-term strategic plan, including Proposed programme budget 2010–2011
12. Technical and health matters
12.1 Pandemic influenza preparedness: sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits
12.2 Implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005)
12.3 Prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment
12.4 Primary health care, including health system strengthening
12.5 Commission on Social Determinants of Health
12.6 Monitoring of the achievement of the health-related Millennium Development Goals
12.7 Climate change and health
12.8 Public health, innovation and intellectual property: global strategy and plan of action
12.9 Progress reports on technical and health matters
        A. Poliomyelitis: mechanism for management of potential risks to eradication (resolution WHA61.1)
        B. Smallpox eradication: destruction of variola virus stocks (resolution WHA60.1)
        C. Malaria, including proposal for establishment of World Malaria Day (resolution WHA60.18)
        D. Implementation by WHO of the recommendations of the Global Task Team on Improving AIDS Coordination among Multilateral Institutions and International Donors (resolution WHA59.12)
        E. Prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections (resolution WHA59.19)
        F. Strengthening of health information systems (resolution WHA60.27)
        G. Working towards universal coverage of maternal, newborn and child health interventions (resolution WHA58.31)
        H. Strategy for integrating gender analysis and actions into the work of WHO (resolution WHA60.25)
        I. Rational use of medicines (resolution WHA60.16)
        J. Better medicines for children (resolution WHA60.20)
        K. Health technologies (resolution WHA60.29)
        L. Multilingualism (resolution WHA61.12)

COMMITTEE B
13. Opening of the Committee
14. Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan
15. Programme and budget matters
15.1 Programme budget 2006–2007: performance assessment
15.2 Implementation of Programme budget 2008–2009: interim report
16. Audit and oversight matters
      Report of the Internal Auditor
17. Financial matters
17.1 Unaudited interim financial report on the accounts of WHO for 2008
17.2 Interim report of the External Auditor
17.3 Status of collection of assessed contributions, including Member States in arrears in the payment of their contributions to an extent that would justify invoking Article 7 of the Constitution
17.4 Special arrangements for settlement of arrears [if any]
17.5 Scale of assessments 2010–2011
17.6 Assessment of new Members and Associate Members [if any]
17.7 Amendments to the Financial Regulations and Financial Rules
18. Staffing matters
18.1 Human resources: annual report
18.2 Report of the International Civil Service Commission
18.3 Amendments to the Staff Regulations and Staff Rules
18.4 Report of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board
18.5 Appointment of representatives to the WHO Staff Pension Committee