Geneva, 27 May 2024 - The Group of Friends of the WHO Academy was launched today on the sidelines of the 77th World Health Assembly. The event was co-hosted by founding members: France, Indonesia, Japan, Qatar and Rwanda, represented by their minister or vice minister of health.
With 30 Member States in attendance, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, expressed his gratitude to the founding Friends, stating, "As a key initiative of the WHO Transformation that began in 2018, the WHO Academy will be a vital asset for Member States, and a game changer in the way WHO supports countries in building capacities. The support of the Group of Friends will enable the WHO Academy to drive lifelong learning in health as a global priority."
Supported by France, the WHO Academy campus in Lyon will open its doors at the end of 2024. Serving the global health and care workforce, its training delivery will include a portfolio of evidence-based courses available globally online and in-person capacity-building programmes offered in Lyon as well as in Member States.
The Group of Friends will offer political support to promote the Academy and advocate for investment in health workforce training. The group's goal is to help the WHO Academy become the world's leading institution for lifelong learning in health.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
Seven winning short films, four special mentions from the Jury
Geneva---The World Health Organization has announced the official selection of this year’s winning films of its 5th Health for All Film Festival. The awards were announced today at a special event launching WHO’s Investment Round on the eve of the Seventy-Seventh World Health Assembly in Geneva.
The event, opened by WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and attended by High-Level Representatives of Member States and celebrities from the cinema and arts domain, saw winning films announced for seven different categories, while four films received special mentions from the jury.
This is the fifth year of the Film Festival which received almost 1000 entries from filmmakers around the world on issues ranging from gender equity and war trauma to burnout, climate change and healthy ageing. Of these, 61 shortlisted films were judged by a panel of distinguished professionals, artists and activists, including renowned actors and advocates, Nandita Das, Sharon Stone and Alfonso Herrera; filmmaker and producer, Apolline Traoré; Olympic swimmer and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, Yusra Mardini; multidisciplinary artist, Mário Macilau; and film director, Paul Jerndal. They were joined by senior United Nations officials and WHO staff.
“WHO’s Health for All Film Festival gathers many powerful stories about a variety of health experiences from people from all over the world,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Listening to the stories of people affected by health issues helps us to understand people’s lived experiences and move towards achieving better health for all.”
From the official selection, one “Grand Prix” is awarded for each of the three main competition categories: Universal health coverage, Health emergencies, and Better health and well-being, which align with WHO’s Triple Billion Targets.
Nandita Das, Indian actor, filmmaker and social advocate, who has served twice on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival and has acted in more than 40 feature films in 10 different languages said: “I am delighted to be a juror for WHO’s Health For All Film Festival. Films can create awareness, challenge prejudices, ask uncomfortable questions and tell stories that need to be told. Health is personally and collectively, our right and responsibility. So to celebrate films that focus on these issues is important. I am glad that l have the opportunity to announce the winners of the 5th edition of this annual event.”
Four special prizes were also given for a Student-produced film, a film on Physical Activity and Health, a film on Migrants and Refugees Health and a Very Short Film.
The theme of mental health featured heavily in this year’s winning entries, including a powerful and moving short film from France about the difficulties of supporting a relative diagnosed with a severe disease. The film depicts a 14-year-old who copes with heavy responsibilities while living alone with her mother, who has cancer.
Another winning film, from Türkiye, captures the survival and recovery of a young Syrian refugee mother in southern Türkiye who spent five days trapped under building rubble in the aftermath of the earthquakes of 6 February 2023. The moving film details her rehabilitation progress including learning to walk again.
List of films awarded Universal Health Coverage "Grand Prix": “The Visionary Women of Indonesia” – Indonesia / Disabilities; Blindness; Rehabilitation
Directed by Nalin Narang (Australia) from The Fred Hollows Foundation / Documentary – Duration 5’10’’
Health Emergencies "Grand Prix": “Journey Beyond the Rubble”– Türkiye / Natural disasters; Earthquake; Internally displaced persons
Directed by Mumen Sayed Issa and Atheer Salem Bahr (Türkiye) from the Independent Doctors Association / Documentary – Duration 7’09’’
Better Health and Well-being "Grand Prix": “Color” – Spain / Gender equity
Directed by Eva Jakubovska (Poland/Spain) / Fiction – Duration 8’
Special Prize Physical Activity and Health Film: "Ping Pong Parkinsons” – United States of America / Mental health; Parkinson; Physical activity
Directed by Dave Steck (United States of America) from Numeric Pictures company / Documentary - Duration 3’06’’
Special Prize Migrants and Refugees Health Film: “Dalal's Story” – Iraq / Trauma; War; Refugees health; Mental health
Directed by Alexandra Cordukes from Laundry Lane Productions (Australia) / Animation – Duration 6’15’’
Student Film Prize: “Mom & Me, and that... (Maman & Moi, et ça...)” – France / NCDs - Cancer; Mental health
Directed by Elisa Tiozzo (France) / Animation – Duration 3’56’’
Special Prize Very Short Film: “Cycle Path” – United Kingdom / Environment; Climate change and health
Directed by Red Wade (United Kingdom) / Fiction – Duration 3’
Films receiving a Special Mention from the Jury Health Emergencies Special Mention: “The Island (ADA)” – Türkiye / Drought; Climate change; Migration
Directed by MAHMUT TAŞ (Türkiye) / Documentary – Duration 5’
Better Health and Well-being Special Mention:“The Pure” – Iran / Social determinants of health; Access to hygiene
Directed by Masoud Mashouf (Iran) / Fiction – Duration 4’37’’
Universal Health Coverage Special Mention: “Beyond The Last Mile - The Story of Rose Magayi” – Malawi / Health workforce; Community
Directed by Carlo Lechea / Village Reach (NGO in Africa) / Documentary – Duration 8’
Very Short Film Special Mention: “Human Being. Handle with Care” – Global / Mental health; Stress; Healthy diet
Directed by Maya Adam (United States of America) from the Stanford School of Medicine / Fiction – Duration 2’21’’
The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO. Held annually in Geneva, it is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. The Assembly's main functions are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
WHO Member States have ended intensive negotiations aimed at strengthening global capacities to respond to future pandemics and outbreaks in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and agreed to submit outcomes of their work for consideration by the upcoming World Health Assembly, starting Monday.
Two parallel negotiation processes were undertaken to make a series of amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) and to develop a first-ever pandemic agreement, convention or other legal instrument.
Delegations to the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly, running from 27 May-1 June, will consider the outcomes of both processes, and the next steps for the two.
“Over the past two years, WHO Member States have dedicated enormous effort to rise to this challenge posted by COVID-19 and respond to the losses it caused, including at least 7 million lives lost,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “COVID-19 affected everybody, in many ways, and that is why Member States started a process to develop a pandemic agreement to make the world better prepared for the next pandemic. While great progress was made during these negotiations, there are challenges still to overcome. We need to use the World Health Assembly to re-energize us and finish the job at hand, which is to present the world with a generational pandemic agreement.”
Countries today ended their resumed 9th meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) comprising WHO’s 194 Member States. Initial agreement was reached by the INB on multiple elements of the draft agreement, and convergence on others. There were also areas of non-convergence and divergent views.
The INB Bureau, which has been guiding the process, will present a report outlining the two-plus years of work of the process, and the outcome of that work, which is the draft text that has been negotiated to date. Options for next steps to conclude the agreement process will also be put to the WHA for consideration.
Bureau co-Chair Mr Roland Driece, of the Netherlands, said WHO Member States remain committed to completing the pandemic agreement process and looked forward to the World Health Assembly to consider the progress made on this landmark initiative.
“Clearly there is agreement among governments that the world must forge a new approach to combatting pandemics,” Mr Driece said. “The next steps in this essential process will now be guided by the World Health Assembly.”
Fellow co-Chair Ms Precious Matsoso, of South Africa, added that the quest for building a generational, equitable agreement to prepare for, prevent and respond to pandemics remains. “The world must not take its focus off the job at hand, which is to ensure the world is better protected from the next pandemic. This will require continuous commitment and action from all parties to build the world’s collective defenses.”
The Working Group on the IHR (WGIHR) amendments will also be presenting its outcome to the WHA for consideration, including some provisions for which agreement in principle was reached and others that the WGIHR Bureau updated its proposed text for consideration by Member States.
The IHR, which were first adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1969 and last revised in 2005, were conceived to maximize collective efforts to manage public health events while at the same time minimizing their disruption to travel and trade. They have 196 State Parties, comprising all 194 WHO Member States plus Liechtenstein and the Holy See. These Parties have led the process to amend the IHR through the Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) (WGIHR). Today marked the end of the resumed session of the eighth meeting of the WGIHR.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
Mpox continues to affect people around the world. A new framework released today by WHO will guide health authorities, communities and other stakeholders in preventing and controlling mpox outbreaks, eliminating human-to-human transmission of the disease, and reducing spillover of the virus from animals to humans.
Mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). It can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever. Most people fully recover, but some get very sick. The virus transmits from person to person through close, including sexual, contact. It also has animal reservoirs in east, central and west Africa, where spillovers from animals to humans can occasionally occur, sparking further outbreaks.
There are two different clades of the virus: clade I and clade II. Clade I outbreaks are deadlier than clade II outbreaks.
A major emergence of mpox linked to clade II began in 2017, and since 2022, has spread to all regions of the world. Between July 2022 and May 2023, the outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. While that outbreak has largely subsided, cases and deaths continue to be reported today, illustrating that low-level transmission continues around the world.
Currently, there is also a major outbreak of clade I virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where cases have been on the rise for decades. Since the beginning of the year, over 6500 cases and 345 deaths have been reported in the DRC. Almost half of these are among children under the age of 15 years.
The Strategic framework for enhancing prevention and control of mpox (2024–2027) provides a roadmap for health authorities, communities, and stakeholders worldwide to control mpox outbreaks in every context, advance mpox research and access to countermeasures, and to minimize zoonotic transmission.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
With two recommended vaccines and expanded supply, Gavi, UNICEF, WHO are working closely with governments and partners to increase malaria prevention and protection for children
GENEVA/COPENHAGEN/NEW YORK, 24 May 2024 – UNICEF delivered over 43,000 doses of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine by air to Bangui, Central African Republic, today, with more than 120,000 doses to follow in the next days. It is the first country to receive the R21 malaria vaccine for use in routine childhood immunization, marking another step forward in preventing the disease and saving children’s lives.
R21 is the second malaria vaccine to be recommended by WHO for children living in endemic areas. Along with the earlier WHO recommendation of the RTS,S vaccine, there is now sufficient vaccine supply to scale up malaria vaccination in Africa. The rollout of both vaccines is funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
“With two products now available to countries, expanded supply of malaria vaccines is a game changer for child survival and health,” said Director of UNICEF Supply Division Leila Pakkala. “Previous concerns about supply meeting demand are firmly behind us. Now our priority is for the vaccines to reach every child at risk.”
The R21 and RTS,S vaccines are proven safe and effective in preventing malaria in children. The RTS,S vaccine was delivered to more than 2 million children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi in a four-year pilot programme that demonstrated a 13 per cent reduction in all-cause mortality.
Malaria is one of the world's most lethal diseases, killing nearly half a million children under 5 years of age each year in Africa.
The Central African Republic has one of the highest rates of malaria incidence globally. In 2022, an estimated 1,733,000 malaria cases were reported in the country, averaging about 4,747 cases a day. The disease also claimed around 5,180 lives over the year, or 14 deaths each day.
“Having two safe and effective vaccines means we have greater supply security and can be more confident about meeting countries’ needs,” said Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “That is what matters most – that countries where our vaccines can be most impactful are able to access them, saving thousands of lives each year and offering relief to families, communities and entire health systems.”
Central African Republic, along with Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Uganda, are preparing to receive R21 shipments.
Around 4.33 million doses of RTS,S have been delivered to 8 countries so far – Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, and Sierra Leone – that are offering the vaccine in their routine child immunization programmes as part of national malaria control plans. Burundi and Niger are next on the list for RTS,S shipments.
Vaccine deliveries to countries that are funded through the Vaccine Alliance depend on government requests and readiness to include the vaccine in routine immunization programmes.
Gavi, UNICEF, WHO, and partners are supporting governments as they prepare to receive and introduce the vaccines. This involves supporting countries to develop vaccine implementation plans and communication strategies, conducting health worker trainings and community engagement, and ensuring sufficient cold chain capacity.
“Malaria vaccines, introduced as part of the tools available in comprehensive national malaria control plans, will substantially reduce early childhood deaths and can help revitalize the fight against malaria. With the R21 vaccine now joining RTS,S vaccine for use in country immunization programmes, scale up of malaria vaccine across parts of Africa, where malaria remains a major cause of childhood death will continue. The high community demand for malaria vaccines also provides an opportunity for children to receive other childhood vaccines that may be due, resulting in even more lives saved,” said Dr Kate O’Brien, Director of WHO's Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals.
Malaria vaccines are an important addition to the fight against the disease. Careful planning is essential to ensure the successful introduction of the malaria vaccines and to combine them with other interventions including insecticide-treated bed nets or targeted indoor residual spraying, chemoprevention, diagnosis and prompt treatments to maximize the impact on public health.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
Young people using e-cigarettes at rates higher than adults in many countries
The World Health Organization (WHO) and STOP, a global tobacco industry watchdog, are launching today “Hooking the next generation,” a report highlighting how the tobacco and nicotine industry designs products, implements marketing campaigns and works to shape policy environments to help them addict the world’s youth.
This comes just ahead of World No Tobacco Day marked on 31 May, where WHO is amplifying the voices of young people who are calling on governments to protect them from being targets of the tobacco and nicotine industry.
The report shows that globally an estimated 37 million children aged 13–15 years use tobacco, and in many countries, the rate of e-cigarette use among adolescents exceeds that of adults. In the WHO European Region, 20% of 15-year-olds surveyed reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days.
Despite significant progress in reducing tobacco use, the emergence of e-cigarettes and other new tobacco and nicotine products present a grave threat to youth and tobacco control. Studies demonstrate that e-cigarette use increases conventional cigarette use, particularly among non-smoking youth, by nearly three times.
"History is repeating, as the tobacco industry tries to sell the same nicotine to our children in different packaging,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “These industries are actively targeting schools, children and young people with new products that are essentially a candy-flavoured trap. How can they talk about harm reduction when they are marketing these dangerous, highly-addictive products to children?”
These industries continue to market their products to young people with enticing flavours like candy and fruit. Research in the United States of America found that more than 70% of youth e-cigarette users would quit if the products were only available in tobacco flavour.
"These industries are intentionally designing products and utilizing marketing strategies that appeal directly to children," said Dr Ruediger Krech, Director, WHO Director of Health Promotion. "The use of child-friendly flavours like cotton candy and bubblegum, combined with sleek and colourful designs that resemble toys, is a blatant attempt to addict young people to these harmful products."
These deceptive tactics highlight the urgent need for strong regulations to protect young people from a lifetime of harmful dependence.
WHO urges governments to protect young people from the uptake of tobacco, e-cigarettes and other nicotine products by banning or tightly regulating these products. WHO recommendations include creating 100% smoke-free indoor public places, banning flavoured e-cigarettes, bans on marketing, advertising and promotion, higher taxes, increasing public awareness of the deceptive tactics used by the industry and supporting youth-led education and awareness initiatives.
“Addicted youth represent a lifetime of profits to the industry,” said Jorge Alday, Director, STOP at Vital Strategies. “That’s why the industry aggressively lobbies to create an environment that makes it cheap, attractive and easy for youth to get hooked. If policy makers don’t act, current and future generations may be facing a new wave of harms, characterized by addiction to and use of many tobacco and nicotine products, including cigarettes.”
Youth advocates around the world are taking a stand against the tobacco and nicotine industry’s destructive influence and manipulative marketing. They are exposing these deceptive practices and advocating for their own tobacco-free future. Youth organizations from around the world participated in the latest session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (COP10) to deliver a powerful message to policy makers: “Future generations will remember you as the ones who protected them or the ones who failed them and put them in danger.”
Dr Tedros recognized the following youth organizations among the 2024 World No Tobacco Day Awards:
Thailand Youth Institute, Kingdom of Thailand
Tobacco Abstinence Club, Federal Republic of Nigeria
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Argentine Republic
These inspiring young leaders are protecting their generation from an industry that sees them as profits, not people.
By working together, governments, public health organizations, civil society, and empowered youth can create a world where the next generation is free from the dangers of tobacco and nicotine addiction.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
WHO has approved designation of 33 national and regional regulatory authorities as WHO Listed Authorities (WLAs) that can be relied on for fulfilling the highest level of regulatory standards and practices for quality, safety and efficacy of medicines and vaccines. This listing makes a total of 36 regulatory authorities from 34 Member States now designated as WLAs since the launch of the initiative in March 2022.
The newly approved WLAs include: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) and the European Medicines Regulatory Network (EMRN), which is composed of the European Commission, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the medicines regulatory authorities of the following 30 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany (Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices & Paul-Ehrlich-Institut), Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Furthermore, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) of Singapore, which was previously designated as a WLA in October 2023, was approved for an expanded scope of functions.
“Today marks a significant progress in our collective efforts to improve access to safe, quality and effective medicines and vaccines. With leading regulatory authorities joining our list, we are stronger and more united to improve access to quality, safe and effective medicines and vaccines for millions more people,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “I would like to congratulate all agencies designated as WLAs for their investment and commitment to the quality and safety of medicines and vaccines. My thanks also to our experts for their diligent work to implement a transparent and evidence-based assessment throughout the evaluation process”.
The decision is based on the recommendation by the WHO technical advisory group on WHO Listed Authorities (TAG-WLA) following WHO performance evaluations confirming consistency of advanced performance by these authorities in line with international standards and best regulatory practices for ensuring the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines and vaccines.
“This crucial expansion of the WLA framework is a transformative milestone in the global public health regulatory landscape,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, Assistant Director-General, Access to Medicines and Health Products and Assistant Director-General, Antimicrobial Resistance ad interim. “As WLAs, these agencies can be relied on to reassure quality and safety of medicines and vaccines to streamline processes, optimize resources, and expedite access to medicines and vaccines”.
WHO approval for U.S. FDA and EMRN includes all regulatory functions for the product streams of medicines – including multisource (generics) and new medicines (new chemical entities), biotherapeutics and similar biotherapeutic products – and vaccines.
WHO approval for HSA includes an additional regulatory function of market surveillance and control. With this inclusion, HSA’s WLA status now covers all other regulatory functions, for the product stream of medicines – including multisource (generics) and new medicines (new chemical entities) and biotherapeutics and similar biotherapeutic products.
Attaining WLA status signifies not only compliance with these standards but also a commitment to continuous improvement and excellence in regulatory oversight – a commitment consistently demonstrated by the EMRN, HSA and U.S. FDA. There are a few stringent regulatory authorities pending evaluations following their expressions of interest in being assessed for WHO Listed Authorities designation.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
15 May 2024-Geneva: A new vaccine for dengue received prequalification from the World Health Organization (WHO) on 10 May 2024. TAK-003 is the second dengue vaccine to be prequalified by WHO. Developed by Takeda, it is a live-attenuated vaccine containing weakened versions of the four serotypes of the virus that cause dengue.
WHO recommends the use of TAK-003 in children aged 6–16 years in settings with high dengue burden and transmission intensity. The vaccine should be administered in a 2-dose schedule with a 3-month interval between doses.
“The prequalification of TAK-003 is an important step in the expansion of global access to dengue vaccines, as it is now eligible for procurement by UN agencies including UNICEF and PAHO,” said Dr Rogerio Gaspar, WHO Director for Regulation and Prequalification. “With only two dengue vaccines to date prequalified, we look forward to more vaccine developers coming forward for assessment, so that we can ensure vaccines reach all communities who need it.”
The WHO prequalification list also includes CYD-TDV vaccine against dengue developed by Sanofi Pasteur.
Dengue is a vector-borne disease transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. Severe dengue is a potentially lethal complication which can develop from dengue infections.
It is estimated that there are over 100-400 million cases of dengue worldwide each year and 3.8 billion people living in dengue endemic countries, most of which are in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The largest number of dengue cases reported was in 2023 with the WHO Region of the Americas reporting 4.5 million cases and 2300 deaths. Dengue cases are likely to increase and expand geographically due to climate change and urbanization.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
Historic move makes world better prepared for, and ready to respond to future public health emergencies
Geneva---In the eighth meeting of the Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations (WGIHR), which was suspended yesterday until 16 May, State Parties to the IHR took a major step towards agreeing on the package of amendments which will be put forward to the World Health Assembly, which takes place from 27 May–1 June.
The amendments, proposed by IHR State Parties in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to strengthen the international community’s ability to detect and respond to pandemic threats, will be further discussed at the resumed eighth meeting on 16-17 May with a view to finalizing an agreed package for submission to the World Health Assembly in May for its consideration and, if agreed, formal adoption.
“The International Health Regulations have been the cornerstone of global health security for decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic showed the need to strengthen them in some areas to make them fit for purpose,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Countries are grasping this historic opportunity to protect future generations from the impact of epidemics and pandemics, with a commitment to equity and solidarity.”
This eighth meeting of the Working Group on Amendments to the IHR (WGIHR) started on 22 April and suspended today. Whilst the process is being held alongside negotiations of the world’s first pandemic agreement to strengthen global collaboration among governments to prepare for, prevent and respond to pandemics, it was proposed in WGIHR8 that two separate Resolutions on the two processes be submitted to the World Health Assembly in May. Negotiations resume on the pandemic agreement on 29 April and continue until 10 May.
During the eighth meeting of the WGIHR, substantial progress on finalizing the package of amendments was made as State Parties reached agreement in critical areas.
WGIHR Co-Chair Dr Ashley Bloomfield said: “The work to bolster our global defenses against public health emergencies and risks, through agreeing a stronger set of International Health Regulations, reflects both the risks our highly interconnected world faces today, and the recognition and readiness of countries to ensure their citizens are better protected.”
Fellow WGIHR Co-Chair, Dr Abdullah Assiri, said the proposed amendments to the IHR are readily implementable and recognize the importance of equity in ensuring effective global response.
“The COVID-19 pandemic showed the world that viruses of pandemic potential do not respect national borders,” Dr Assiri said. “Amending the International Health Regulations reflects the critical need to bolster our collective defenses against current and future public health risks so people’s health, societies and economies can be better protected, all whilst firmly respecting and adhering to the principle of national sovereignty.”
The eighth meeting of the WGHIR will resume in a two-day final session 16-17 May to continue and conclude the work of the Working Group according to its mandate from the Health Assembly
The IHR have 196 State Parties, comprising all 194 WHO Member States plus Liechtenstein and the Holy See. These Parties have led the process to amend the IHR. The Regulations have been negotiated under Article 21 of the WHO Constitution. Any amendment will come into force for all States Parties, after a set period, except for those that notify the WHO Director-General of a rejection or reservation.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
25 April, Cotonou/Freetown/Monrovia - In a significant step forward for malaria prevention in Africa, three countries—Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone—today launched a large-scale rollout of the life-saving malaria vaccine targeting millions of children across the three West African nations. The vaccine rollout, announced on World Malaria Day, seeks to further scale up vaccine deployment in the African region.
Today’s launch brings to eight the number of countries on the continent to offer the malaria vaccine as part of the childhood immunization programmes, extending access to more comprehensive malaria prevention. Several of the more than 30 countries in the African region that have expressed interest in the vaccine are scheduled to roll it out in the next year through support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as efforts continue to widen its deployment in the region in coordination with other prevention measures such as long-lasting insecticidal nets and seasonal malaria chemoprevention.
Benin, which received 215 900 doses, has added the malaria vaccine to its Expanded Programme on Immunization. The malaria vaccine should be provided in a schedule of 4 doses in children from around 5 months of age.
“The introduction of the malaria vaccine in the Expanded Programme on Immunization for our children is a major step forward in the fight against this scourge. I would like to reassure that the malaria vaccines are safe and effective and contribute to the protection of our children against this serious and fatal diseases,” said Prof Benjamin Hounkpatin, Minister of Health of Benin.
In Liberia, the vaccine was launched in the southern Rivercess County and will be rolled out afterwards in five other counties which have high malaria burden. At least 45 000 children are expected to benefit from the 112 000 doses of the available vaccine.
"For far too long, malaria has stolen the laughter and dreams of our children. But today, with this vaccine and the unwavering commitment of our communities, healthcare workers and our partners, including GAVI, UNICEF and WHO, we break the chain. We have a powerful tool that will protect them from this devastating illness and related deaths, ensuring their right to health and a brighter future. Let's end malaria in Liberia and pave the way for a healthier, more just society," said Dr Louise Kpoto, Liberia’s Minister of Health.
Two safe and effective vaccines — RTS,S and R21 — recommended by World Health Organization (WHO), are a breakthrough for child health and malaria control. A pilot malaria vaccine programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi reached over 2 million children from 2019 to 2023, showing a significant reduction in malaria illness and a 13% drop in overall child mortality and substantial reductions in hospitalizations.
In Sierra Leone, the first doses were administered to children at a health centre in Western Area Rural where the authorities kicked off the rollout of 550 000 vaccine doses. The vaccine will then be delivered in health facilities nationwide.
“With the new, safe and efficacious malaria vaccine, we now have an additional tool to fight this disease. In combination with insecticide-treated nets, effective diagnosis and treatment, and indoor spraying, no child should die from malaria infection,” said Dr Austin Demby, Minister of Health of Sierra Leone.
Malaria remains a huge health challenge in the African region, which is home to 11 countries that carry approximately 70% of the global burden of malaria. The region accounted for 94% of global malaria cases and 95% of all malaria deaths in 2022, according to the World Malaria Report 2023.
“The African region is advancing in the rollout of the malaria vaccine – a game-changer in our fight against this deadly disease,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Working with our member states and partners, we’re supporting the ongoing efforts to save the lives of young children and lower the malaria burden in the region.”
Aurelia Nguyen, Chief Programme Officer at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, noted: “Today we celebrate more children gaining access to a new lifesaving tool to fight one of Africa’s deadliest diseases. This introduction of malaria vaccines into routine programmes in Benin, Liberia, and Sierra Leone alongside other proven interventions will help save lives and offer relief to families, communities and hard-pressed health systems.”
Progress against malaria has stalled in these high-burden African countries since 2017 due to factors including climate change, humanitarian crises, low access to and insufficient quality of health services, gender-related barriers, biological threats such as insecticide and drug resistance and global economic crises. Fragile health systems and critical gaps in data and surveillance have compounded the challenge.
To put malaria progress back on track, WHO recommends robust commitment to malaria responses at all levels, particularly in high-burden countries; greater domestic and international funding; science and data-driven malaria responses; urgent action on the health impacts of climate change; harnessing research and innovation; as well as strong partnerships for coordinated responses. WHO is also calling attention to addressing delays in malaria programme implementation.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.