On World Mental Health Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) is releasing a new report entitled Mental health of refugees and migrants: risk and protective factors and access to care, outlining the latest global evidence on main factors influencing the mental health of refugees and migrants and their access to care. This is fifth report of the Global evidence review on health and migration (GEHM).
Around 1 in 8 people globally live with a mental health condition. Refugees and migrants are particularly vulnerable, as they can be exposed to various stress factors and challenges, which affect their mental health and well-being both during their journeys and on arrival. The prevalence of common mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) tends to be higher among migrants and refugees than among host populations. Girls and women on the move have a higher risk of depression and anxiety.
"Good mental health and well-being is a right for all, including for refugees and migrants," said Dr Santino Severoni, Director of the WHO's Department of Health and Migration. "This report will support and strengthen health systems' responses to the mental health needs of refugees and migrants so that they can receive quality mental health care and support in ways they find accessible, acceptable, and affordable."
The report summarizes different risk factors and barriers refugee and migrant groups experience and outlines five key themes to be addressed in order to improve their access to mental health care:
Community support: Evidence shows that being part of a community with a shared background and attending school are associated with lower rates of mental disorders.
Basic needs and security. For example, an insecure legal status can contribute to poor mental health.
Stigma: experiences of racism and discrimination are consistently associated with adverse mental health outcomes.
Adversity and trauma. For example, extended detention is associated with increased rates of depression and PTSD.
Access to services. Refugees and migrants often do not prioritize their mental health because they are not aware of the services available free of charge or do not accept health care due to language barriers and concerns around confidentiality.
"Refugees and migrants face many unique stressors and challenges. This report sets out the urgent need for robust policies and legislation, rooted within stronger health systems, to meet the mental health care needs of refugees and migrants," said Dévora Kestel, WHO Director for Mental Health and Substance Use.
Based on the findings of the review, this GEHM puts forward a series of actions for consideration by Governments, policymakers, and programme managers in Ministries of Health and other ministries, cutting across all the five thematic areas outlined:
Promote refugees' and migrants' participation in society and reduce discrimination by adopting refugee- and migrant-sensitive mental health policies.
Address the non-medical factors that impact mental health in migration policies and prioritize basic needs, such as food, housing, safety, and education or employment. This means, for example, using settings other than detention facilities to assess the health status of refugees and migrants.
Train health workers to assess and treat mental health conditions among refugees and migrants and strengthen the capacity of other relevant professionals (e.g., migration officers, social workers, or teachers) to recognize and support those with mental health conditions.
Offer choices about the delivery of mental health services, for example, the location, service provider, referral pathway, and treatment approach to make access to care possible and acceptable.
Safeguard the human rights of all refugees and migrants regardless of their legal status with national and international policies and criminal justice measures that protect these populations from discrimination and violence.
Strengthen community capacity for and access to mental health care by providing information about services, engaging with migrant groups, and offering community-based referral pathways. For example, orientation to critical services and entitlements on arrival in the destination country will be key.
Developed by the WHO's Department of Health and Migration in collaboration with the Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, this GEHM also identifies critical gaps to be addressed in future research.
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.
The World Health Organization (WHO) congratulates Egypt for its unprecedented progress towards eliminating hepatitis C, becoming the first country to achieve “gold tier” status on the path to elimination of hepatitis C as per WHO criteria. Achieving the gold tier means that Egypt has fulfilled the programmatic requirements that facilitate the reduction of new hepatitis C infections and deaths to levels that position the country to end the hepatitis C epidemic.
Globally, 58 million people are living with chronic hepatitis C infection. While there is no vaccine, the disease can be cured with highly effective and curative short-course treatments that last 8–12 weeks. Globally, however, 4 out of 5 people living with hepatitis C do not know that they are infected. Unless treated or cured, the infection can cause liver disease and cancer.
Egypt has diagnosed 87% of people living with hepatitis C and provided 93% of those diagnosed with curative treatment, exceeding the WHO gold tier targets of diagnosing at least 80% of people living with hepatitis C and providing treatment to at least 70% of diagnosed people.
“Egypt’s journey from having one of the world’s highest rates of hepatitis C infection to being on the path to elimination in less than 10 years is nothing short of astounding,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Egypt is an example to the world of what can be achieved with modern tools, and political commitment at the highest level to use those tools to prevent infections and save lives. Egypt’s success must give all of us hope and motivation to eliminate hepatitis C everywhere.”
Egypt has successfully transitioned from having one of the highest rates of hepatitis C in the world to one of the lowest by reducing the prevalence of hepatitis C from 10% to 0.38% in just over a decade.
Since the early 2000s, Egypt has been strengthening its national preventive and treatment programmes. In 2006, the country established the National Committee for Control of Viral Hepatitis, a governance structure to oversee and lead the national hepatitis response.
Starting in 2014 and reinforced in 2018, the President of Egypt introduced a countrywide campaign to eliminate hepatitis C that offered free testing and treatment for hepatitis C. The “100 million seha” (100 million healthy lives) campaign resulted in the testing of over 60 million people and treatment of more than 4.1 million people. Locally manufactured direct-acting antiviral treatments were a key factor in the campaign’s remarkable success – a 99% hepatitis C cure rate among people who received treatment.
Through a patient-centred approach, Egypt has also significantly improved its patient safety practices and embraced the concept of “doing no harm” by implementing universal injection safety, blood safety procedures, and harm reduction.
Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, praised Egypt’s unprecedented success: “It is a testament that success is unstoppable when there is commitment, even when faced with daunting challenges and difficult times, including the COVID-19 pandemic. With its commitment to eliminate hepatitis C, Egypt has succeeded in testing virtually the whole of the eligible population and has treated almost all those who are living with the virus. This represents one third of the 12 million people living with hepatitis C in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. This reflects the essence of our regional vision and the call for solidarity and action.”
Through close cooperation with the WHO Country Office in Egypt, and with support from all three levels of the Organization, the Ministry of Health and Population has successfully expanded its financial and technical resources over the years to realize the vision to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health problem.
“I am filled with pride and joy as I witness the historic moment of having Egypt recognized internationally as the first country to have achieved this remarkable progress towards eliminating the disease,” said WHO Representative in Egypt, Dr Naeema Al Gasseer. “I have witnessed first-hand the extraordinary efforts that the Ministry of Health and Population has undertaken during the past decade to eliminate this public health threat. The Ministry has been driven by the highest political commitment and by solidarity, equity and inclusion to provide services to everyone living in Egypt, without discrimination and as a universal human right.”
“This milestone coincides with the 75th anniversary of WHO this year and is a clear embodiment of its vision: improving public health and achieving health for all,” she added.
WHO supports the Ministry with technical guidelines and tools outlining a human rights-based approach to hepatitis C diagnosis and treatment, and it advocated for the inclusion of vulnerable groups such as refugees and migrants in the campaign. WHO continues to support the Ministry with the capacity-building of health workers and reaching out to communities with awareness campaigns.
According to the 2023 WHO Guidance for country validation of viral hepatitis elimination and path to elimination, countries can apply for full validation of gold, silver or bronze tiers on the path to elimination based on achieving relevant targets. Egypt is the first country that applied for validation and achieved gold tier status on the path to elimination, meaning that it is well on its way towards reaching all elimination targets before 2030.
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.
Ahead of World Mental Health Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) are jointly launching a new guidance, entitled “Mental health, human rights and legislation: guidance and practice”, to support countries to reform legislation in order to end human rights abuses and increase access to quality mental health care.
Human rights abuses and coercive practices in mental health care, supported by existing legislation and policies, are still far too common. Involuntary hospitalization and treatment, unsanitary living conditions and physical, psychological, and emotional abuse characterize many mental health services across the world.
While many countries have sought to reform their laws, policies and services since the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006, too few have adopted or amended the relevant laws and policies on the scale needed to end abuses and promote human rights in mental health care.
“Mental health is an integral and essential component of the right to health,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This new guidance will support countries to make the changes needed to provide quality mental health care that assists a person’s recovery and respects their dignity, empowering people with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities to lead full and healthy lives in their communities.”
“Our ambition must be to transform mental health services, not just in their reach, but in their underlying values, so that they are truly responsive to the needs and dignity of the individual. This publication offers guidance on how a rights-based approach can support the transformation needed in mental health systems” said Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The majority of reported government expenditure on mental health is allocated to psychiatric hospitals (43% in high-income countries). However, evidence shows that community-based care services are more accessible, cost-efficient and effective in contrast to institutional models of mental health care.
The guidance sets out what needs to be done to accelerate deinstitutionalization and embed a rights-based community approach to mental health care. This includes adopting legislation to gradually replace psychiatric institutions with inclusive community support systems and mainstream services, such as income support, housing assistance and peer support networks.
Ending coercive practices in mental health – such as involuntary detention, forced treatment, seclusion and restraints – is essential in order to respect the right to make decisions about one’s own health care and treatment choices.
Moreover, a growing body of evidence sets out how coercive practices negatively impact physical and mental health, often compounding a person’s existing condition while alienating them from their support systems.
The guidance proposes legislative provisions to end coercion in mental health services and enshrine free and informed consent as the basis of all mental health-related interventions. It also provides guidance on how more complex and challenging cases can be handled in legislation and policies without recourse to coercive practices.
Recognizing that mental health is not the sole responsibility of the health care sector alone, the new guidance is aimed at all legislators and policy-makers involved in drafting, amending and implementing legislation impacting mental health, such as laws addressing poverty, inequality and discrimination.
The new guidance also provides a checklist to be used by countries to assess and evaluate whether mental health-related legislation is compliant with international human rights obligations. In addition, the guidance also sets out the importance of consulting persons with lived experience and their representative organizations as a critical part of this process, as well as the importance of public education and awareness on rights-based issues.
While the guidance proposes a set of principles and provisions that can be mirrored in national legislation, countries may also adapt and tailor these to their specific circumstances (national context, languages, cultural sensitivities, legal systems, etc.), without compromising human rights standards.
On 10 October, WHO will join global communities in marking World Mental Health Day 2023, the theme of which is “Mental health is a universal human right”.
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.
Launched during the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), a new report, co-authored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and WISH partners, calls on governments, sports authorities, and the wider sporting community to maximize the investment and excitement generated by sports mega events and leave behind more permanent health benefits for communities. The report, Playing the Long Game; A framework for promoting physical activity through sports mega-events, recommends ways to strengthen mega sports event legacies so that they contribute more effectively to increasing physical activity, and improving the health of populations.
“Large-scale sport events are significant opportunities to promote the health and social benefits of physical activity and sport, and ensure a lasting health legacy for generations,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “But sports events are too often missed opportunities to produce sustainable change. The Playing the Long Game report underscores how learning from past events and better planning can lay the foundations for health and sustainable sports legacies.”
Regular physical activity, including through playing sport, is proven to help prevent and treat noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and breast and colon cancer. It also helps to prevent hypertension, overweight and obesity and can improve mental health and well-being. Increasing sport and physical activity participation can save lives, improve health and support stronger, more resilient health systems and communities.
But one in four adults and four in five adolescents are not active enough; there has been little change in the average levels of physical activity over the last 15 years.
Global sports mega events attract millions of viewers and large investments, and can make an important contribution to promoting public health messages and increasing physical activity through effective event legacy programmes. However, there is currently no global standard of what a sport event legacy should involve; requirements set by different organizing authorities for hosting events vary and there are no standard metrics to assess sport mega event legacy planning, delivery or long-term impact.
“Many cities that host sports mega events have grand plans to leverage the momentum around these events to increase physical activity and improve health. But time and again, we can’t seem to show any measurable impact – the data just isn’t there,” said Didi Thompson, Director of Research and Content, WISH.
For the first time, a framework has been presented for the design and implementation of such legacies to maximize the reach and impact on community participation in sports and physical activity. Playing the Long Game details 7 strategies to deliver meaningful sports mega event legacies which start with the planning and bidding process and extend 10 or 20 years after the event itself - promoting better health for years ahead. One recommendation is to set common key performance indicators to measure the impact across its legacy lifecycle including the design, planning, delivery/implementation and evaluation.
The framework draws on the strategic objectives outlined by WHO in the Global action plan on physical activity 2018–2030: More active people for a healthier world (GAPPA) which charts a comprehensive approach to encourage participation and behaviour change, and ultimately influence increased physical activity in all populations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced participation in physical activity and sport worldwide. It also increased depression and anxiety by 25%. COVID-19 has highlighted, more than ever, the importance of increasing efforts to engage more people in regular physical activity and sport.
Globally, NCDs cause 74 percent of deaths each year and will burden health systems and communities significantly if efforts to encourage sports and other forms of physical activity among their populations do not improve. Increases in NCDs are projected to result in an estimated US $47 trillion loss to the global economy between 2010–2030.
WHO’s Global action plan on physical activity 2018-2030 promotes active societies, people and environments to contribute to the global goal of increasing participation in physical activity by 15 percent by 2030.
Fiona Bull, Paul Simpson, Didi Thompson, Abdulla Saeed Al-Mohannadi, Ravinder Mamtani, Javaid Sheikh, Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani.
The Sport for Health Conference, incorporating the 4th Annual Meeting of Football is Medicine (FIM), is co-hosted by the World Health Organization, the Qatar Ministry of Public Health and Generation Amazing Foundation. It is an activity undertaken as part of the Healthy 2022 World Cup – Creating Legacy for Sport and Health Initiative, a partnership between WHO, State of Qatar (Ministry of Public Health) and Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.
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.
2 October 2023, Tripoli, Libya – A staggering 101 health workers in Libya lost their lives during Storm Daniel or in its immediate aftermath. Some were killed at home, others in the line of duty. Families and coworkers have described their anguish and feelings of helplessness at seeing their relatives, friends and colleagues swept away by the sheer force of the floods.
The deceased health workers are among the 4333 people thus far confirmed dead following the storm. More than 8500 people are still missing.
Dr Ahmed Zouiten, WHO Representative in Libya, paid tribute to the health workers who were killed in the floods: “WHO stands with the people of Libya in mourning the loss of so many dedicated health workers. These 101 doctors, nurses and paramedics who lost their lives are not only missed by their families and loved ones; the whole community is affected by their departure and certainly the health sector in eastern Libya and beyond will be hit hard.”
Even before Storm Daniel struck the country, Libya’s health system had been badly disrupted by more than a decade of conflict. Primary health care facilities throughout the country still face acute shortages of staff, medicines, equipment and medical technologies. The loss of the 101 health workers in eastern Libya is an additional heavy blow.
WHO is working closely with the local and national health authorities to find immediate solutions to ensure that affected people in the worst-hit areas have access to health services. More broadly, WHO is leading efforts to rehabilitate and strengthen Libya’s health system, by restoring functionality in affected health facilities through the deployment of health workers from less-affected municipalities and the dispatch of medicines, medical supplies and equipment.
Dr Zouiten remarked that these efforts are a fitting way to remember the health workers killed in the floods. “WHO will honour their memory by pursuing efforts to restore health care and continue their legacy in serving the vulnerable, saving lives and keeping the community safe,” he said.
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.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus held the first U.S.-WHO Strategic Dialogue. Convened under the Biden-Harris Administration, the U.S.-WHO Strategic Dialogue provides a platform to maximize the longstanding U.S. government-WHO partnership, and to protect and promote the health of all people around the globe, including the American people.
Representatives from across the United States Government and WHO leadership discussed several priority global public health issues and areas of collaboration and partnership, including ongoing WHO strengthening efforts. The U.S. and WHO welcomed the creation of the historic new financial intermediary fund for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, and called on countries to help ensure it is sustainably financed and supported.
As the world looks to emerge stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that we must be better prepared going forward, something highlighted by recent outbreaks of monkeypox, Ebola, and polio. The global health architecture comprises important entities, policies, and legal tools that assist countries to improve national, regional, and global health. An essential aspect of this architecture is the ability to prevent, detect, and respond to pandemics and other health security threats. Secretary Becerra and Director-General Tedros agreed that national and global capacities must be strong, agile, ever improving, and always fit-for-purpose. They discussed efforts underway to improve the global health architecture, to support resilient health systems, and to advance health equity.
The discussion also addressed efforts to develop a new pandemic instrument, strengthening the International Health Regulations (IHR), including through targeted amendments, as well as scaling-up of Universal Health Preparedness Review, including the Joint External Evaluation and other relevant tools, and updating global, regional, and national epidemic and One Health surveillance capabilities. It is also vital to take forward opportunities for advancing health security and primary health care, including by leveraging the extensive global health data infrastructure supported by a number of U.S. Government programs. In promoting rapid and transparent data sharing, and coordination, strengthened IHRs, and a new pandemic instrument can provide important tools to WHO Member States, including the United States, to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to new events with pandemic potential and monitor disease control measures. This reinforcing of global health security is essential to protect the health of the world and the American people.
In addition to strengthening health emergency preparedness and response, the United States and WHO recommitted to strengthening our partnership in key areas for the world to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, progress towards is a quarter of the pace needed. Accelerated progress will require resilient health systems capable of handling future health emergencies, reorienting towards integrated primary health care as a means to achieve universal health coverage, investing in comprehensive health and care workforce development and community engagement, and promoting policies that recognize the links between the environment and health to improve quality of life. Accelerating progress towards the SDGs also requires leveraging progress made in addressing HIV, TB, polio, and malaria, advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights, and empowering marginalized and vulnerable communities in global health. Furthermore, U.S. and WHO leadership also discussed progress made on budgetary and governance reform as well as WHO’s work to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment.
Recognizing there is much more to do together to improve and promote global public health, the United States and the WHO decided to task technical experts with further development of their collaboration in 2023, including a joint work plan with a focus on activities in support of these shared leadership objectives. Secretary Becerra and Director-General Tedros will continue their positive engagement and guide the work of the technical teams with an expected update and reassessment by the next U.S.-WHO Strategic Dialogue to be held in late 2023.
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.
Geneva, 14 September 2023 -- The World Health Organization (WHO)-hosted global conference on patient safety and patient engagement concluded yesterday with agreement across a broad range of stakeholders on a first-ever Patient safety rights charter. It outlines the core rights of all patients in the context of safety of health care and seeks to assist governments and other stakeholders to ensure that the voices of patients are heard and their right to safe health care is protected.
“Patient safety is a collective responsibility. Health systems must work hand-in-hand with patients, families, and communities, so that patients can be informed advocates in their own care, and every person can receive the safe, dignified, and compassionate care they deserve,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Because if it’s not safe, it’s not care.”
Patient safety is an ethical and moral imperative grounded in the health care principle ‘First, do no harm!’, which lies at the heart of efforts to ensure high-quality health care systems and achieve universal health coverage. Yet, an estimated one in every 10 patients experience harm in health care facilities and each year there are more than three million deaths globally due to unsafe health care.
Most of the patient harm is preventable, and the engagement of patients, families and caregivers is one of the most important strategies for reducing harm. This year’s World Patient Safety Day seeks to highlight the critical importance of listening to patients, families and caregivers, learning from their experiences, and involving them in every aspect of care, to avoid harm, lower the risk of errors and reduce the impact of harm when it does occur. This requires a shift in paradigm, from care designed for patients to care designed with patients, their families and caregivers.
"Our health systems are stronger, our work is empowered, and our care is safer when patients and families are alongside us,” said Sir Liam Donaldson, WHO Patient Safety Envoy. “The journey to eliminate avoidable harm in health care has been a long one, and the stories of courage and compassion from patients and families who have suffered harm are pivotal to driving change and learning to be even safer."
The global conference on patient engagement for patient safety was the key event to mark World Patient Safety Day (WPSD) which will be observed on 17 September under the theme “Engaging patients for patient safety”. Meaningful involvement of patients, families and caregivers in the provision of health care, and their experiences and perspectives, can contribute to enhancing health care safety and quality, saving lives and reducing costs, and the WPSD aims to promote and accelerate better patient and family engagement in the design and delivery of safe health services.
The conference was held on 12 and 13 September at WHO headquarters in Geneva and online, with the participation of more than 2 300 people from all six WHO regions, including patient advocates and representatives of patients’ organizations, who took an active role in the development of the Patient safety rights charter, a significant step forward in the global commitment to safer health systems. Its advanced version will be released and open for public consultation as part of the activities to commemorate World Patient Safety Day 2023.
At the conference, WHO unveiled two new resources to support key stakeholders in implementing involvement of patients, families and caregivers in the provision of health care. Drawing on the power of patient stories, which is one of the most effective mechanisms for driving improvements in patient safety, a storytelling toolkit will guide patients and families through the process of sharing their experiences, especially those related to harmful events within health care. The Global Knowledge Sharing Platform, created as part of a strategic partnership with SingHealth Institute for Patient Safety and Quality Singapore, supports the exchange of global resources, best practices, tools and resources related to patient safety, acknowledging the pivotal role of knowledge sharing in advancing safety.
“Patient engagement and empowerment is at the core of the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030. It is one of the most powerful tools to improve patient safety and the quality of care, but it remains an untapped resource in many countries, and the weakest link in the implementation of patient safety measures and strategies. With this World Patient Safety Day and the focus on patient engagement, we want to change that”, said Dr Neelam Dhingra, head of the WHO Patient Safety Flagship.
According to the interim results of the 2023 survey of WHO Member States on the implementation of the global patient safety action plan, only 13% of responding countries have a patient representative on the governing board (or an equivalent mechanism) in the majority of their hospitals. The survey also highlighted the income-based implementation gap, with good practices largely concentrated in higher-income countries.
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 urges world leaders to commit to progress on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response and to secure health for all, end TB, and reinvigorate SDGs
Geneva, Switzerland -- WHO is urging leaders meeting at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78) in New York to put health for all on the highest political agenda and apply lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. WHO’s appeal comes as the world faces multiple humanitarian and climate-related crises which are threatening lives and livelihoods around the world.
WHO’s call to accelerate the achievement of health targets comes ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals Summit (SDG Summit) and an unprecedented number of health-focused high-level meetings at UNGA, aimed at strengthening pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, delivering universal health coverage (UHC) and ending TB.
As government leaders gather to make commitments around three major health issues, they have a chance to demonstrate that health is an investment, not a cost, and is fundamental to thriving, resilient families, societies and economies.
“If COVID-19 taught us nothing else, it’s that when health is at risk, everything is at risk,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “The pandemic caused enormous economic, social and political upheaval, and stalled or reversed progress towards the health-related targets in the Sustainable Development Goals. The UN General Assembly is the moment for world leaders to show they have learned the painful lessons of the pandemic, and to take concrete steps towards a healthier, safer and fairer world for all people.”
Progress in reducing infant and maternal mortality has stagnated (in some regions, rates have even increased) and progress in tackling infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria has faltered. Many parts of the world are also seeing rollbacks of sexual and reproductive health and rights. Access to life-saving tools is uneven across the world, with millions unable to afford or obtain needed care. Noncommunicable diseases and mental disorders, which account for over 70% of deaths globally, threaten social and economic development everywhere. Yet new technologies and a renewed commitment to equity and sharing, following the pandemic, are positive developments.
“Ill health robs individuals, families, communities and entire nations of opportunities to grow and flourish,” Dr Tedros said. “The fact that billions of people cannot access or afford essential health services exposes them to poverty, easily preventable and treatable diseases like TB, and to the impact of future epidemics and pandemics. In WHO’s 75th year, we are reminding the world of what our founders affirmed: that health is not only a fundamental human right, but also the foundation of safe, peaceful and prosperous societies.”
Dr Tedros will lead WHO’s delegation to UNGA and, along with senior leadership, will participate in high-level meetings along with a number of other events, including the launch of an updated UHC Global Monitoring Report.
The WHO Walk the Talk on 17 September in New York’s Central Park will kickstart UNGA78, promote physical and mental health, and will also celebrate WHO’s 75th anniversary. Opening at 7 am EDT, Walk the Talk New York will be open to all people to run, walk and use their wheelchair over an approximately 4-mile route. Performers and speakers will include Hip Hop legend Doug E. Fresh, Kim Sledge of award-winning band Sister Sledge, globally renowned dancer and development advocate Sherrie Silver, 3-time Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej, the Global Scrub Choir of singing health workers, WHO Goodwill ambassador Cynthia Germanotta and former world marathon champion Paul Tergat.
At the SDG Summit on 18 to 19 September, Heads of State and Government will take stock of progress on the midpoint to 2030 and in the context of multiple global crises ̶ including SDG3 to achieve healthy lives and well-being for all.
On 20 September, the UN High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR) aims to give Member States a forum to discuss how to prevent and prepare for pandemics and the health, social and economic consequences, by involving all government sectors. The outcome will be a declaration that aims at mobilizing political will at the national, regional and international levels. Themes for two panels during the meeting focus on ensuring equity through governance and accountability as well as building capacity and harnessing timely, sustainable and innovative financing and investment.
The 21 September High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage convenes countries and stakeholders to accelerate progress toward health for all. Discussions will include a review of implementation of the 2019 Political Declaration as well as noting gaps and solutions to move towards universal health coverage by 2030.
On 22 September, the High-Level Meeting on the fight against tuberculosis (TB) reviews the achievement of TB targets set out in the 2018 Political Declaration of the first General Assembly high level meeting on TB. Stakeholders will identify gaps and solutions to accelerate progress towards ending the tuberculosis epidemic by 2030 and ensuring equitable access to prevention, testing, treatment and care.
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.
Today the World Health Organization (WHO) launches two resources designed to strengthen suicide prevention efforts: Preventing suicide: a resource for media professionals (2023 update) and a policy brief on the health aspects of decriminalization of suicide and suicide attempts.
Suicide is a major public health problem. Each year more than 700,000 people take their own life. It is the fourth leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds. Not only is each loss of life tragic in itself, but it also has profound and devastating effects on families and entire communities.
Suicide can be linked to multiple, complex, and intersecting social, economic, cultural, and psychological factors and challenges, including the denial of basic human rights and access to resources as well as stressful life events such as loss of livelihood, work or academic pressures, relationship breakdowns and discrimination, among others.
Reducing the global suicide rate by one third by 2030 is a target of both the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the WHO Global Mental Health Action Plan. Urgent action is needed to meet the 2030 goal, and countries have committed to taking concrete measures in this direction.
“Each death by suicide is a tragedy, and more must be done to strengthen suicide prevention. The resources launched by WHO today provide important guidance on two areas which are critical to suicide prevention efforts: decriminalisation of suicide and suicide attempts and responsible reporting of suicide by the media,” said Dévora Kestel, Director of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization.
Suicide and suicide attempts are criminalized in the laws of at least 23 countries worldwide and suicide attempts continue to be actively punished in some of them. The criminalization of suicide perpetuates an environment that fosters blame towards people who attempt suicide and deters people from seeking timely help due to the fear of legal repercussions and stigma.
Drawing on the experiences of countries that have recently decriminalized suicide and suicide attempts, including Guyana, Pakistan and Singapore, the WHO policy brief on health aspects of the decriminalization of suicide and suicide attempts sets out recommendations for policy-makers, legislators and other decision-makers considering reform in this area.
Key recommendations focus on developing national suicide prevention strategies; budgeting for ‘post-decriminalization’ training for first line responders; establishing rights-oriented community-based mental health services; formulating new mental health related laws and policies that promote quality care and the rights of persons with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities.
“Criminalizing suicide only serves to exacerbate people’s distress. The decriminalisation of suicide and suicide attempts is a critical step that governments can take in their efforts to prevent suicide. WHO is committed to supporting efforts to decriminalise suicide” said Nathalie Drew Bold, WHO Technical Officer.
The policy brief also sets out how decriminalisation saves lives by reducing the stigma and shame associated with suicide and promoting an environment where people feel able to seek help; allowing for improved data collection on suicide and suicide attempts which can better inform appropriate interventions; and by increasing opportunities for awareness-raising and advocacy around suicide prevention.
The fourth edition of Preventing suicide: a resource for media professionals, produced in collaboration with the International Association for Suicide Prevention, summarizes current evidence on the impact of media reporting of suicide, and provides practical guidance for media professionals on how to report on suicide responsibly.
“Responsible media coverage of suicide is an important tool in our collective suicide prevention efforts. By using this resource, media professionals can help minimize imitative behaviours through accurate, appropriate, and empathetic reporting on suicide, and encourage people to seek vital help,” said Dr Alexandra Fleischmann, Scientist at WHO.
There is overwhelming evidence that the media can play a significant role in either strengthening or undermining suicide prevention efforts. For example, evidence shows that vulnerable persons (such as those with a history of suicide attempts or thoughts, or those exposed to suicide) are at an increased risk of engaging in imitative behaviours following media reports of suicide – particularly if the coverage is extensive, prominent, sensational, explicitly describes the method of suicide, makes suicide appear to be normal, or perpetuates widely-held myths about suicide. The resource offers guidance on how to ensure that reporting on suicide is accurate, responsible, and appropriate.
The resource also highlights increasing evidence that reporting focused on survival and resilience can lead to positive imitative behaviours and can contribute to suicide prevention. It also sets out guidance on how to report on stories on recovery and mental and emotional well-being.
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.
The COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), a multi-stakeholder partnership to facilitate sharing of intellectual property (IP), knowledge and innovations has announced three new licensing agreements acquired through the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP). The agreements include the following licenses to transfer know-how, materials and clinical data needed in different countries:
Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp, the first private manufacturer, is offering its patent and know-how for a COVID-19 vaccine that has seen more than three million doses administered across seven countries. It is the first time that a vaccine manufacturer is using the WHO C-TAP model - a win-win opportunity for the manufacturer, recipients of the technology and, most importantly, patients in need around the world. The agreement will enable licensing of IP facilitating technology transfer and staff training.
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is sharing a second license for a COVID-19 vaccine prototype. The agreement includes plant visits and training, direct assistance and ongoing consultation with recipient manufacturers, including on quality and regulatory matters.
The University of Chile is sharing its technology for a COVID-19 assay for quantification of neutralizing antibodies.
C-TAP was launched in May 2020 by the WHO and the Government of Costa Rica with the support of 44 Member States, UN Development Programme, Unitaid, UNAIDS, and implementing partners such as MPP. It works under the principles of the Solidarity call to action and was designed to serve as a platform for developers of COVID-19 therapeutics, diagnostics, vaccines and other health products to voluntarily share their intellectual property, knowledge, and data to accelerate technological innovation and expand global production capacity.
C-TAP was acknowledged as an important tool in the 2021 “Local Production Resolution” to facilitate sustainable access to quality-assured, safe, effective and affordable medicines and other health technologies. Furthermore, it has played an important role in raising awareness of the role of technology and knowledge sharing and access-oriented voluntary licensing.
“COVID-19 is here to stay, and the world will continue to need tools to prevent it, test for it and treat it,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Through C-TAP, WHO and our partners are committed to making those tools accessible to everyone, everywhere. I am grateful to the leadership shown by those license holders who have contributed technology.”
Charles Gore, Executive Director of the Medicines Patent Pool said: “Access to essential medicines and health technologies needs to remain a top priority on the global health agenda. We congratulate Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp, CSIC and the University of Chile for licensing their products to MPP and hope it will send an important message to other originators around the world to enter into further license agreements under the auspices of C-TAP.”
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic only two public health R&D Institutes -- the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the US National Institute of Health (NIH) decided to share their key COVID-19 technologies with C-TAP.
Addition of the three new licenses now provides an important boost to the overall effort. The new licenses are global, transparent and non-exclusive to all manufacturers and are accessible on the C-TAP website. Importantly, the first license, on a serological test, resulted in a sub license to Biotech Africa from CSIC to develop their diagnostic technology.
C-TAP has also established a Technology Access Pool database that provides a searchable repository. With a principle of transparency, this publicly available database will support coordination and will link to other data sharing platforms where clinical, regulatory, patent, and manufacturers data is available for selected technologies. WHO is preparing to share findings of the review of C-TAP and a proposed model for an evolved technology access pool. Stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide comments on a concept paper including the process and timelines for its implementation.
Charles Chen, CEO of Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp. stated, "We believe that the most effective response to a pandemic must be rooted in solidarity, cooperation, and collective global effort. By joining the C-TAP initiative, we are providing equitable access to our vaccine technology. It underscores our commitment to ensure that vaccines reach all corners of the globe, leaving no one behind. This is not just about COVID-19, it is about setting a precedent for future global health challenges. By demonstrating our commitment to open science and cooperative strategies, we hope to inspire other organizations to follow suit. To all those that trusted, participated, collaborated, and supported us, thank you! For without you, we could not make this C-TAP initiative possible.”
University of Chile Rector, Professor Dr. Rosa Devés Alessandri, said, “For the University of Chile, the achievement of our scientists, is a source of pride and an encouragement for the advancement of biomedical research in our country. It shows how excellent research carried out internationally has the capacity to offer solutions with a high social impact in the field of health. We thank all the organizations that have made it possible for the University of Chile to contribute to global health".
Eloisa del Pino, President of CSIC said ‘This licensing agreement with C-TAP opens the possibility of finding partners in third countries to advance clinical trials with this vaccine as a future alternative to licensed COVID vaccine options worldwide, especially in resource-poor countries.”
C-TAP was launched in 2020 by the WHO Director-General and the President of Costa Rica, and supported by 44 Member States, to facilitate timely, equitable and affordable access to COVID-19 health products through transparent, public health oriented, non-exclusive and broad licensing agreements.
WHO technical teams support by providing assessment of technologies to technology givers and receivers. This includes the recently launched WHO-Unitaid briefing document to support how to navigate interfaces between public health and intellectual property.
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is a United Nations-backed public health organization working to increase access to and facilitate the development of life-saving medicines for low- and middle-income countries. Through its innovative business model, MPP partners with civil society, governments, international organizations, industry, patient groups, and other stakeholders to prioritize and license needed medicines and pool intellectual property to encourage generic manufacture and the development of new formulations.
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.