Articles

PHM’s WHO Watch at the World Health Assembly 72

PHM’s WHO Watch at the World Health Assembly 72 The People's Health Movement's WHO Watch team attended the World Health Assembly 72 in Geneva in the month of May. The Watch team included Alane Ribeiro, Ana Vracar, Ben Eder, Gargeya Telakapalli, Sun Kim, Stuti Pant, Lucy Singh, Maira Mathias, Sophie Gepp, Susana Barria and Andrew Harmer. The team was supported by the guidance of PHMers David Legge and Lauren Paremoer. PHM closely follows the work of World Health Organisation, both through the World Health Assembly and the Executive Board.

World Health Assembly: Countries Pledge to Improve Access to Assistive Technologies

Assistive technology (AT), a subset of health technology, embodies scientific and technological innovations. It refers to application of organised knowledge and skills related to assistive products, including systems and services. Assistive products include any external product – devices, equipment, instruments or software – especially produced to maintain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence, and thereby promote his or her well-being. As per WHO estimates, more than 1 billion people require assistive technology, while 90 per cent of these have no access to it.

General Program of Work as Strategic Priority For World Health Organization

The General Programme of Work 13 (GPW) provides a framework for the WHO’s work in the coming five years. The new GPW, it is claimed, will strengthen the role of WHO in global health governance, enable the organisation to address its decade long financial crisis, and contribute to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The areas of ‘strategic importance’ were identified through online public consultations in an attempt to make the drafting of the programme more transparent and participatory.