Statement by India

at the WHO EXECUTIVE BOARD Special session during the discussions on Health Emergencies, Health Priorities, and Strategic shifts, delivered by Dr. Sumit Seth, First Secretary on 23 November 2017

Thank you Mr. Chair

Delegation of India would like to make few specific comments on Health Emergencies, Health Priorities, and Strategic Shifts - all together in one go - in the two minutes allocated.

In our understanding it seems that the GPW promotes a vision of health emergency as a security threat rather than a development challenge. The language of health security is inconsistent with the SDG 3D which refers to strengthening the capacity of developing countries for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks. Hence, the delegation of India would request the WHO Secretariat to formulate its vision of health emergency as a development challenge rather than Health Security.

With regard to the specific health priority targets in the GPW, one major issues that needs to be reflected under each of the priorities is important and essential issue of access to affordable treatment, and increase R&D activities based on CEWG principles. There should be suitable emphasis given to these issues in the GPW-13. We also note that the existing WHO treatment guidelines, protocols, recommendations, advisories to countries to deal with specific health conditions are missing in the priorities listed in the GPW.

The GPW states that health governance is no longer the exclusive preserve of health ministries or governments and thus the GPW identifies outreach with NGOs, philanthropic foundations and private entities as critical. However, it will be critical to ensure that WHO engagement with these entities is in accordance with the FENSA principles, especially the principle to protect WHO from any undue influence, in particular in the processes in setting and applying policies, norms and standards; and the principle of not compromising on the integrity, independence, credibility and reputation of WHO.

Delegation of India hopes that WHO Secretariat will give careful consideration to these inputs and accordingly include them in the revised version of the next draft of GPW to be presented in the EB 142 in January 2018.