Almost complete IBFAN team at the 71st World Health Assembly.

Patti with Dr Alexey Novozhilov, Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN, after Russia tabled the draft Resolution.

Delegates from the Cook Islands

IBFAN team hard at it in the Serpentine Bar region during the WHA, May 2018

Fatmata Boukarie, a health promotion student placement, with members of the delegation from Sierra Leone, including Dr Samuel Kargbo, Director, Policy, Planning & Information, MOH.

CLICK HERE for a link to the Text of the WHA Resolution that was finally adopted today at 10.55 am. CLICK HERE for PDF
Please note the very serious omissions and the problematic sections that the US managed to force through, especially OP1 (3) which now reads:to implement and/or strengthen national mechanisms for effective implementation of measures aimed at giving effect to the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes as well as other WHO evidence based recommendations.
NB: There was consensus amongst all the other Member States on the draft Resolution submitted by Russia (see below) and because of the many who pushed hard to retain as much as possible not all is lost.  We will post a more detailed analysis soon with suggestions of  how to make best use of the Resolution.  But its hard to find politically correct words to describe what we just saw happen this week.  (CLICK HERE. for our Press Release describing what happened at the December Codex meeting,  HERE for another blog on John Bolton’s appointment and HERE for the 1978 Kennedy Hearings).

Update from the World Health Assembly: .

This is turning out to be quite a dramatic week for infant and young child feeding here at the World Health Assembly in Geneva.

There have been  four Member States meetings that resulted in a draft Consensus text for a Resolution on Infant and Young Child feeding.  It does not contain all the recommendations we wanted but  is important nevertheless. On Monday, the Russian Federation  tabled it,  co-sponsored by 14 other Member States (Nepal,  Sierra Leone, Canada, Botswana, Pakistan, Panama, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Senegal, Mozambique, Thailand and Zambia, but supported by many others.   Later that day, the USA issued a one page ‘Decision’ which contains very little with no mention of the International Code,  the need for marketing restrictions especially the 2016 Guidance (69.9) or the need for conflicts of interest safeguards.

What will happen over the next few days is anyone’s guess. The issue is scheduled for Friday morning and there will be a drafting group on Thursday morning at 9.30 in Room XXIII. We are hoping that the many countries that support the stronger draft will attend and refuse any further weakening.  CLICK HERE for a briefing for Member States on the Key points that need to be retained or omitted if young child health is to be protected.

Meanwhile IBFAN is covering several other important  issues. See below for IBFAN’s interventions:

A71/4
Draft thirteenth general programme of work, 2019–2023. (Agenda Item 11.1)  CLICK HERE

A71/6
Public health preparedness and response
WHO’s work in health emergencies CLICK HERE

 

A71/11
Health, environment and climate change (Agenda Item 11.4)  CLICK HERE

A71/14
Preparation for the third High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, to be held in 2018   CLICK HERE

A71/22
Maternal, infant and young child nutrition: Comprehensive implementation plan on maternal, infant and young child nutrition: biennial report

 

A71/23
Safeguarding against possible conflicts of interest in nutrition programmes  (Agenda Item 12.6)

12.6_MNCCOIcombined


A71/19 Rev.1
Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016–2030): early childhood development (Agenda Item 12.3) CLICK HERE

Click here for Background Documents. Click here for our interventions on the Executive Board

 

 

 

 

 

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