2021 WHA Resolution on Strengthening Local Production to Improve Access

74th WHA
31 May 2021

Res­o­lu­tion WHA74.6

Down­load

Source

Analysis of precedential value

This Res­o­lu­tion was passed at the Sev­enty-fourth World Health Assem­bly (WHA). The WHA is the deci­sion-mak­ing body of the World Health Orga­ni­za­tion. It includes del­e­ga­tions from every UN mem­ber state, which gather annu­ally to address ques­tions about WHO’s gov­er­nance, bud­get, and progress. Although WHA res­o­lu­tions are cen­tred on health, they engage var­i­ous related top­ics rang­ing from mil­i­tary aggres­sion to migrant rights.

Used as precedent

access to health products

• “Urges Mem­ber States, where appro­pri­ate, based on the national con­text: to apply a holis­tic approach in strength­en­ing local pro­duc­tion by con­sid­er­ing, for exam­ple, pro­mot­ing research and devel­op­ment, trans­parency of mar­kets for med­i­cines and other health tech­nolo­gies, reg­u­la­tory sys­tems strength­en­ing, access to sus­tain­able and afford­able financ­ing, devel­op­ment of skilled human resources, access to tech­nol­ogy trans­fer on vol­un­tary and mutu­ally agreed terms for pro­duc­tion and needs-based inno­va­tion, the aggre­ga­tion of national and regional demand, and appro­pri­ate incen­tives for pri­vate-sec­tor invest­ment, par­tic­u­larly in the con­text of achiev­ing uni­ver­sal health cov­er­age.” (para­graph 1(5))

• “Urges Mem­ber States, where appro­pri­ate, based on the national con­text: to engage in global, regional and sub­re­gional net­works related to pro­mot­ing sus­tain­able local pro­duc­tion of qual­ity, safe, effec­tive and afford­able med­i­cines, and to fur­ther enhance mul­ti­stake­holder col­lab­o­ra­tion.” (para­graph 1(6))

• “Urges Mem­ber States, where appro­pri­ate, based on the national con­text: to fur­ther engage in North–South and South–South devel­op­ment coop­er­a­tion, part­ner­ships and net­works to build and improve the trans­fer of tech­nol­ogy related to health inno­va­tion on vol­un­tary and mutu­ally agreed terms and in line with their inter­na­tional oblig­a­tions.” (para­graph 1(7))

• “Urges Mem­ber States, where appro­pri­ate, based on the national con­text: to take into account the rights and oblig­a­tions in the Agree­ment on Trade-Related Aspects of Intel­lec­tual Prop­erty Rights (TRIPS Agree­ment), includ­ing those affirmed by the Doha Dec­la­ra­tion on the TRIPS Agree­ment and Pub­lic Health, in order to pro­mote access to med­i­cines and other health tech­nolo­gies for all.” (para­graph 1(8))