Our colleagues from NAM provided us following information about the WHO Executive Board Meeting and the upcoming World Health Assembly

In Focus: WHO Executive Board Meeting (February 3-8)

Given the importance of an emerging suite of issues at the intersection of health and trade (with tax, regulatory and policy discussions in areas such as nutrition and intellectual property impacting a range of manufacturing issues), we are closely watching upcoming meetings of the WHO Executive Board and engaging with key U.S. government officials.

To help, we’ve prepared a broad information briefer – and happy to provide more specific issue briefers related to key issues on the agenda:

• Innovation/intellectual property: Implementation of the GSPOA (Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property), including a Director-General report and problematic draft 2020-2022 implementation plan, as well as discussions related to implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing.

• Nutrition/obesity/NCDs: The DG has issued a report following up on the 2018 NCD political declaration that touches on early detection of NCDs; controls on harmful use of alcohol (accompanied by a separate report on the stakeholder consultation process with problematic language); and potential “best buy” policy interventions to improve mental health and to address air pollution. Other reports also touch on dairy/infant formula issues in a implementation plan on maternal/infant/child nutrition.

• Food safety: The DG has issued a report on accelerating progress on food safety that includes some recommendations related to food safety standards and healthy diets, with rumors of potential resolutions on the topic.

• Private sector engagement: The agenda includes a detailed staff-directed evaluation of FENSA implementation that calls for stronger communication and engagement strategies to fill out implementation and reduce risk aversion.  The agenda also includes a report proposing changes to how non-State actors participate in governing body meetings.

• Digital health: The DG also issued a draft global strategy on digital health that discusses the role digital technologies can provide in health care products and services with mostly positive messaging but some key questions on potential regulation.