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Strategic Roundtables: Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly [1]

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Date: 2023-05-22

This series of Strategic Roundtables brings together delegates, experts from WHO, partner agencies and civil society to discuss current priorities and next solutions on vital issues for global public health.

The events take place at The Palais de Nations in Geneva, Switzerland and is being webcast on this web page.

Watch the sessions on 22–27 May 2023 at 13:00–14:15 CEST.



Sessions

Room XVIII, Palais de Nations (Geneva, Switzerland)

Monday 22 May 2023, 13:00–14:15 CEST

The World Together: Member State-led processes to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response

This roundtable will focus on the Member State-led processes to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the loss of human life, disruption to households and societies at large, and impact on economies and development. To protect the world from future pandemics, Member States are engaged in processes to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, with a focus on closing existing gaps and building on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and other disease outbreaks.

This strategic roundtable will, for the first time, bring together the three key Member State-led processes: the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement, or international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response; the Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) (WGIHR); and the high-level meeting of Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response by the United Nations General Assembly.

The co-chairs and co-facilitators of the three country-led processes will discuss on-going work and the complementarity of their mandates. They will address next steps and the role of Member States in facilitating a positive outcome. The speakers, representatives of Member States, other stakeholders, and the WHO Secretariat, will reflect on the significance of the processes, its potential impact and importance for every single person, as well as for countries, regions and globally.

Tuesday 23 May 2023, 13:00–14:15 CEST

Protecting and investing in the health and care workforce: An action-oriented agenda for the second half of the SDGs

This roundtable builds on 5th Global Forum on Human Resources for Health held, April 2023, and on WHA consensus (A75.17 (2022), A74.14, A74.15 (2021)). It provides an action-oriented agenda to protect and invest in the health and care workforce for the second half of the SDGs.

In the first half of the SDGs, the world experienced major disruptions due to COVID-19, other public health emergencies of international concern, protracted conflicts and a global increase in climate-related and humanitarian disasters. Health and care workers have remained at the forefront of local and national responses. In the early part of the pandemic, many became infected, and thousands lost their lives. The prevalence of anxiety, stress and burnout among health and care workers is alarming.

This situation adds to long-standing systemic challenges. The global health workforce shortage is declining significantly: from 18 million in 2013 to 15 million in 2020 and is projected at 10 million by 2030. This masks profound regional disparities. The situation calls for collective action, in support of SDG progress.

Wednesday 24 May 2023, 13:00–14:15 CEST

The role of the Health Community in Climate Action: taking stock and moving forward

Climate change is the greatest health challenge of the 21st century. It brings deadly extreme heat and wildfires, increases non-communicable diseases and facilitates the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, driving health emergencies. It impacts our health workforce and infrastructure and reduces the ability to provide Universal Health Coverage. Climate shocks and growing stresses such as droughts and rising sea levels undermine the environmental and social determinants of physical and mental health, from clean air and water to sustainable food systems, to livelihoods – threatening the existence of some nations. Delay will damage decades of improvements in global health and put at risk our commitments to ensure the human right to health for all.

This roundtable will discuss the role of the health community – including frontline health workers, Ministries of Health, intergovernmental and non-governmental health organizations and health academics in addressing the climate crisis. It will identify opportunities (including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP28, the UN Secretary-General Climate Ambition Summit 2023, and the Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly) to firmly place the health community and WHO as key actors in addressing the climate crisis, and to drive action.

Thursday 25 May 2023, 13:00–14:15 CEST

Ending TB by 2030: Universal access to care, multisectoral collaboration, and innovations to accelerate progress and combat antimicrobial resistance

This roundtable will focus on the challenges and opportunities to end tuberculosis (TB) by 2030, by building on equitable universal access to TB prevention and care, and in alignment with the agendas of universal health coverage, antimicrobial resistance, and pandemic preparedness.

Tuberculosis remains among the world's top infectious killers. In 2021, 1.6 million people lost their lives to TB. In 2018, world leaders at the UN High-Level Meeting on TB adopted a historic declaration (A/RES/73/3), with ambitious targets. The declaration catalyzed progress towards ending TB, saving lives. However, disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with other ongoing global crises have reversed years of progress.

Getting back on track requires increased and sustained funding for universal access to tuberculosis services. TB services must be delivered free of stigma and discrimination; tackle antimicrobial resistance, advance multisectoral actions to address the drivers of the epidemic; and better tools including vaccines and innovative strategies. The second UN High-Level Meeting on TB in September can provide the political incentive to turn the tide in the fight against tuberculosis.

In this roundtable, WHO will present the Flagship Initiative for 2023-2027, featuring new targets and a focus on enabling universal access to services and advancing research including through the TB Vaccine Accelerator Council. Ministers and other leaders, tuberculosis survivors, civil society, donors and partners will share experiences of leadership, innovation and action towards ending TB.

Friday 26 May 2023, 13:00–14:15 CEST

A safer and healthier tomorrow through restoring essential immunization today

67 million children missed at least one dose of essential vaccines between 2019 – 2022. This crisis in routine immunization is borne from the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. Many children need the protection of lifesaving vaccines. We must enable all opportunities to vaccinate these children. 2023 marks a critical point: the actions and recovery of the essential immunization programme today will determine whether the 2030 immunization goals will be achieved.

Many countries have already made remarkable progress towards immunization recovery. This roundtable will examine the factors that drive this success. Special attention will be given to the role of community health workers in achieving global immunization targets. We will discuss best practices in engaging communities in immunization programmes and how to strengthen health systems from the bottom up. We will hear from healthcare workers, ministers and representatives of government, multi-lateral organizations, and civil society about what each stakeholder needs to do to reach all children and adolescents in support of #HealthForAll.

Saturday 27 May 2023, 13:00–14:15 CEST

Celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: a fit-for-purpose life-saving treaty

As part of WHO's 75th anniversary, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of one of the key milestones in the history of WHO: the adoption of the first international public health treaty. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), an evidence-based instrument, provides new legal dimensions for international cooperation. This roundtable will call for Member States to set up implementation of the WHO FCTC measures and in particular support increased tobacco taxes towards public revenues which can be reinvested in public health.

The strategic roundtable will also provide lessons to inform ongoing negotiations for a WHO convention, agreement or other international instruments on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response following the COVID-19 pandemic.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the WHO FCTC by the 56th World Health Assembly in 2003 Parties to the Treaty and other key players will join to celebrate the successes in tobacco control enabled by the WHO FCTC.

This roundtable will be concluded by an award ceremony for the 2023 World No Tobacco Day Director-General's Special Recognition Award.

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[1] Url: https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2023/05/22/default-calendar/strategic-roundtables-seventy-sixth-world-health-assembly

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