Global Health and Foreign Policy

A/RES/64/108View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 123 Global health and foreign policy, published in 2010.

What other versions does this mandate have?

7 versions · 2009–2015

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/69/132

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2015	A/RES/69/132	Global health and foreign policy	2,545	19%Compare
2014	A/RES/68/98	Global health and foreign policy	2,252	19%Compare
2013	A/RES/67/81	Global health and foreign policy	2,393	20%Compare
2012	A/RES/66/115	Global health and foreign policy	1,992	16%Compare
2011	A/RES/65/95	Global health and foreign policy	1,791	18%Compare

What’s in this document?

21 operative paragraphs

Notes with appreciation the report of the Secretary-General⁷ and the recommendations contained therein;

⁷See A/64/365.

Recognizes the close relationship between foreign policy and global health and their interdependence, and in that regard also recognizes that global challenges require concerted and sustained efforts by the international community;

Stresses the importance of achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals;

Welcomes the ministerial declaration adopted during the annual ministerial review held by the Economic and Social Council in 2009 which focused on the theme “Implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to global public health”,4 and in that regard calls for enhanced coordination within the United Nations system;

I Control of emerging infectious diseases and foreign policy

Welcomes the international coordinated actions in response to the recent influenza A (H1N1) pandemic as a good example of synergies between global health and foreign policy;

Emphasizes the need for further international cooperation to meet emerging, new and unforeseen threats and epidemics, such as the recent influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, and the H5N1 and other influenza viruses with human pandemic potential, and acknowledges the growing health problem of antimicrobial resistance;

Recognizes the need for a fair, transparent, equitable and efficient framework for the sharing of the H5N1 and other influenza viruses with human pandemic potential, and for the sharing of benefits, including access to and distribution of affordable vaccines, diagnostics and treatments, to those in need, especially in developing countries, in a timely manner;

Acknowledges with serious concern that current global influenza vaccine production capacity remains insufficient to meet anticipated need in pandemic situations, particularly in developing countries, and that some countries cannot develop, produce, afford or access needed vaccines and other benefits, and acknowledges also in this regard the interlinkage with production capacity of seasonal influenza vaccines and the ability to ensure their effective use;

Calls for the strengthening of surveillance and response capacity at the national, regional and international levels through the full implementation of the International Health Regulations;⁸

⁸See World Health Organization, Fifty-eighth World Health Assembly, Geneva, 16–25 May 2005, Resolutions and Decisions, Annex (WHA58/2005/REC/1), resolution 58.3.

Stresses the importance of finalizing any remaining elements of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework for the sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits;

Acknowledges that communication with the public must be improved in order to increase awareness of the steps in basic hygiene that citizens can and should take in order to lessen their risk of contracting and transmitting influenza;

IIHuman resources for health and foreign policy

Notes with concern the lack of health workers, as well as their uneven distribution within countries and throughout the world, in particular the shortage in sub-Saharan Africa, which undermines the health systems of developing countries;

Emphasizes the need for countries to review policies, including recruitment policies and retention policies that exacerbate this problem;

Underlines the importance of national and international actions, including the development of health workforce plans, which are necessary to increase universal access to health services, including in remote and rural areas, taking into account the challenges facing developing countries in the retention of skilled health personnel, and in this regard encourages the finalization of a World Health Organization code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel;

Urges Member States to affirm their commitment to the training of more health workers by promoting training in accredited institutions of a full spectrum of high-quality professionals, as well as community health workers, public health workers and para-professionals, in particular through international cooperation programmes including South-South cooperation, North-South cooperation and triangular cooperation;

IIIFollow-up actions

Urges Member States to consider health issues in the formulation of foreign policy;

Encourages Member States, the United Nations system, academic institutions and networks to increase their capacity for the training of diplomats and health officials, in particular those from developing countries, on global health and foreign policy, by developing best practices and guidelines for training and open-source information, and educational and training resources for this purpose;

Requests the Secretary-General, in close collaboration with the Director-General of the World Health Organization, with the participation of relevant programmes, funds and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, and in consultation with Member States, to submit a report to the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session, under the item entitled “Global health and foreign policy”, which, inter alia:

Examines ways in which foreign and health policy coordination and coherence can be strengthened at the national, regional and international levels;

Identifies institutional linkages;

Makes concrete recommendations, with a specific focus on making foreign policy contribute better to creating a global policy environment supportive of global health, as a contribution to the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly to be held in September 2010.