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Global health and multilateral diplomacy

By Ioan Voicu - posted Monday, 25 February 2019


A much more elaborated diplomatic approach to this issue is illustrated by the most recent resolution introduced by Brazil and adopted by UNGA on 13 December 2018 and disseminated worldwide on 10 January 2019.

Regrettably, mass-media ignored this document.

This resolution is based on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and emphasizes that health is a precondition for and an outcome and indicator of all Sustainable Development Goals, and reminds that, despite progress made, challenges in global health still remain, with special regard to inequities and vulnerabilities within and among countries, regions and populations, and that investments in health contribute to sustainable, inclusive economic growth, social development, environmental protection, eradication of poverty and hunger, achieving gender equality and reducing inequalities.

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In this resolution the UNGA refers to the fact that global health is a long-term objective which is national, regional and international in scope and requires sustained high-level commitment and closer international cooperation, including far-reaching partnerships among stakeholders, and the need to safeguard the progress made and to further advance by paying due attention to the continuity and sustainability of current actions on global health.

There is no doubt and the resolution reconfirms this fact by reminding that it is the primary responsibility of member states to determine and promote their own path towards achieving universal health coverage that comprises universal and equitable access to quality health services and quality, essential, affordable and effective medicines for all, while ensuring that the use of such services and medicines does not expose the users to financial hardship, with particular attention to those who are vulnerable or in vulnerable situations, and that is critical to promote physical and mental health and well-being, especially through primary health care, health services and social protection mechanisms, including through community outreach and private sector engagement, and with the support of the international community.

Useful reference is also made to the reality that health inequities within and between countries are politically, socially and economically unacceptable, as well as unfair and largely avoidable.

At the same time the UNGA noted that many of the underlying determinants of health and risk factors of communicable and non-communicable diseases are associated with social, economic, environmental and behavioral conditions.

Special attention is paid in this document to the need to eradicate hunger and prevent all forms of malnutrition worldwide, including undernourishment, stunting, wasting, underweight and overweight in all age groups, in particular among children under 5 years of age, and deficiencies in micronutrients, in particular vitamin A, iodine, iron and zinc, among others.

The UNGA informs the world community of nations that it is conscious that multiple forms of malnutrition can affect all countries, can occur not only within countries and communities but also within households, and can affect the same person multiple times over his or her lifetime.

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In the UNGA's opinion undernutrition and overweight and obesity are commonly referred to as the double burden of malnutrition, and concern was expressed about the burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases in all age groups and the rising trends of undernourishment and overweight and obesity, as well as the increase in anaemia among women and the still unacceptably high levels of stunting in children.

Special concern is expressed by UNGA about the increasing number of people facing crisis-level food insecurity or worse, up from almost 108 million in 2016 to 124 million in 2017 in countries affected by, inter alia, conflict and exacerbated by climate -related events, environmental factors, including natural disasters, and excessive food price volatility.

The same resolution does not fail to mention the essential contribution that older persons can continue to make to the functioning of societies and towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and expressed concern that many health systems are not sufficiently prepared to respond to the need for promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative, palliative and specialized care.

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About the Author

Dr Ioan Voicu is a Visiting Professor at Assumption University in Bangkok

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