During the 77th World Health Assembly, the Chair of Committee A, Mr. Apurva Chandra (1988 batch IAS officer), Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, delivered his concluding remarks to the Plenary in Geneva on June 2. He presented his report on the work of Committee A and highlighted the intense agenda with rich discussions in the assembly which culminated in decisions that will shape the future of global health.
The Union Health Secretary said, “We debated its resourcing and sustainable financing through increased assessed contributions and the WHO investment round, pushing the boundaries to ensure we have the means to achieve our goals. We also applauded WHO’s vast work in emergencies and had long debates from early morning to late evening to consider an unprecedented set of health and technical issues.”
Committee A recognizes the efforts of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body that led to the development of the Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response Accord. Officer Chandra stated, “This is a further step towards equity and the creation of an umbrella of solidarity that will help protect the world from future pandemic threats. This is a gift to our children and grandchildren.”
He concluded by thanking the dignitaries and the WHO Secretariat for their tireless efforts in meeting the member states’ expectations, and said, “Inspired by the theme ‘Health for All, All for Health,’ we worked as one family, what we call Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in India – the world is one family.”
