Global Health and Foreign Policy

A/RES/69/132No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 124Global health and foreign policy, published in 2015.

What other versions does this mandate have?

7 versions · 2009–2015

2015A/RES/69/132Global health and foreign policyLatestCompare with previous version
2014A/RES/68/98Global health and foreign policyCompare with previous version
2013A/RES/67/81Global health and foreign policyCompare with previous version
2012A/RES/66/115Global health and foreign policyCompare with previous version
2011A/RES/65/95Global health and foreign policyCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

7 topics

Development Policy Financial Resources Foreign Policy Health Insurance Health Policy Partnership Sustainable Development

What does this mandate say?

19 operative paragraphs

Takes note with appreciation of the note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Director General of the World Health Organization on global health and foreign policy;

Urges Member States to protect, promote and respect the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and to consider health in a holistic manner, including by considering health issues in the formulation of foreign policy;

Calls upon Member States to promote adequate incentives and an enabling and safe working environment for the effective retention and equitable distribution of the health workforce and to implement the World Health Organization Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel as a guide to strengthen health systems through sustainable access to qualified personnel;

Invites the World Health Organization to provide technical support to Member States upon request in order to strengthen their capacity to deal with public health emergencies and the implementation of the International Health Regulations, with particular focus on developing countries, in order to build capacity, strengthen health systems and promote financial sustainability, training, recruitment and retention of human resources for health and technology transfer on mutually agreed terms;

Calls for the development and attainment by Member States of resilient and sustainable health systems that accelerate the transition towards universal health coverage in such a way as to ensure undisrupted and accessible services for their populations, and stresses that medical and health personnel should be able to offer appropriate assistance without obstruction, threat or physical attack and in line with their respective professional codes of ethics and scope of practice;

Calls for all Member States and all stakeholders to respect the integrity of medical and health personnel in carrying out their duties in line with their respective professional codes of ethics and scope of practice;

Recalls World Health Assembly resolution 65.20,Error: Reference source not found which calls for leadership to be provided at the global level in developing methods for systematic collection of data on attacks on health facilities, health workers, health vehicles and patients in complex humanitarian emergencies, in coordination with relevant United Nations bodies, other relevant actors and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, avoiding duplication of efforts;

Strongly condemns all attacks on medical and health personnel, their means of transport and equipment, as well as hospitals and other medical facilities, and deplores the long-term consequences of such attacks for the population and health-care systems of the countries concerned;

Urges full respect for the rules and principles of international humanitarian law, including the provisions of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949Error: Reference source not found and the Additional Protocols thereto of 1977Error: Reference source not found and 2005,Error: Reference source not found as applicable, stresses the obligation, in accordance with international humanitarian law and applicable national laws and regulations, to respect and protect medical personnel and humanitarian personnel exclusively engaged in medical duties, their means of transport and equipment, as well as hospitals and other medical facilities, in all circumstances, notes in this regard the role of domestic legal frameworks and other appropriate measures in promoting the safety and protection of such personnel, and urges States to develop effective measures to prevent and address violence against such personnel;

Urges Member States, in accordance with obligations under relevant provisions of international human rights law, including the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, to promote equal access to health services and to respect and protect medical and health personnel from obstruction, threats and physical attacks;

Invites the World Health Organization and other relevant international organizations to develop their capacity to assist Member States, including through the promotion of research, and, upon request and through technical cooperation and other means, to develop appropriate preventive measures to enhance and promote the safety and protection of medical and health personnel, their means of transport and installations, to improve the resilience of health systems and to promote the effective implementation of universal health coverage;

Notes that challenges in global health still remain and demand persistent attention, and that this urgently requires the fulfilment of commitments to strengthen the global partnership for development, emphasizing in particular in this regard North-South cooperation, as well as the importance of South-South and triangular cooperation and the exchange of best practices, as well as capacity-building and the transfer of technology on mutually agreed terms, to address health inequities in the context of poverty eradication and sustainable development, in line with national priorities;

Urges Member States, in cooperation, as appropriate, with relevant international organizations and relevant non-State actors, to develop effective preventive measures to enhance and promote the safety and protection of medical and health personnel, as well as respect for their respective professional codes of ethics, including but not restricted to:

Clear and universally recognized definitions and norms for the identification and marking of medical and health personnel, their means of transport and installations;

Specific and appropriate educational measures for medical and health personnel, State employees and the general population;

Appropriate measures for the physical protection of medical and health personnel, their means of transport and installations;

Other appropriate measures, such as national legal frameworks where warranted, to effectively address violence against medical and health personnel;

Collection of data on obstruction, threats and physical attacks on health workers;

Requests the Secretary-General, in close collaboration with the Director General of the World Health Organization, to submit a report on the protection of health workers, which compiles and analyses the experiences of Member States and presents recommendations for action to be taken by relevant stakeholders, including appropriate preventive measures.

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