FOR INFO

19 May 2015

68th World Health Assembly (WHA), 18-26 May

2015, Geneva
Dear all,
On 18 May 2015, the 68th World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organisation
(WHO) was opened by Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO. The WHA will take
place from 18 until 26 May 2015.
Dr. Chans opening speech can be found here. Of particular interest are the following
excerpts:

"The globalized marketing of unhealthy products opened wide the entry point for the rise of
lifestyle-related diseases. Noncommunicable diseases overtook infectious diseases as the
principal driver of global mortality, changing the very foundations of how public health
operates.
This is a unique time in history where economic progress is actually increasing threats to
health instead of reducing them.
The proliferation of front groups and lobbies, protecting commodities that harm health or the
environment, created arguments that further muddled public thinking and challenged the
authority of scientific evidence."

For those that are interested, the WHA is web-streamed. Furthermore, here are links to
the provisional agenda and main documents. NGOs are able to provide statements at
various agenda items, which can be found here. Other documents, press releases, etc. can
be found here.
One of the most important agenda items is the "Framework of engagement with non-State
actors", which will discuss the level of engagement with the private sector amongst others.
We will keep you informed of any developments during this week. You can also follow the
WHA discussions via Twitter (#WHA68).
Kind regards,
The Secretariat