76th World Health Assembly Meet

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• About World Health Assembly
• About World Health Organization (WHO)
• News Summary
• About WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine

Why in News?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the 76^th World Health Assembly in Geneva.
• While congratulating the organisation for “serving the world for 75 years”, PM Modi said the Covid-19 pandemic showed that there was a need for greater collaboration and health equity.

About World Health Assembly

• The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of World Health Organization (WHO).
• It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board.
• The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to –
  • Determine the policies of the Organization,
  • Appoint the Director-General,
  • Supervise financial policies, and
  • Review and approve the proposed programme budget.
• The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.

About World Health Organization (WHO)

• Founded in 1948, WHO is a United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.
• It provides technical assistance to countries, sets international health standards, and collects data on global health issues.
• The WHO has played a leading role in several public health achievements, most notably the –
  • Eradication of smallpox, the near-eradication of polio, and the development of an Ebola vaccine.
• Its World Health Assembly, the agency’s decision-making body, elects and advises an executive board made up of 34 health specialists.
• The WHO relies on contributions from member states (both assessed and voluntary) and private donors for funding.
• Its publication, World Health Report, provides assessments of worldwide health topics.

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News Summary

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 76th World Health Assembly in Geneva, virtually.
• While congratulating the organisation for “serving the world for 75 years”, he said the pandemic showed there was a need for greater collaboration and health equity.
• He mentioned that India showed its commitment towards international cooperation during the pandemic by shipping 300 million vaccine doses to over 100 countries.
• PM highlighted the gaps in the global health architecture which were exposed during the covid-19 pandemic and emphasized the need for a collective effort in building resilient global systems and boosting global health equity.
• He said that the role of WHO is more important for the challenges that lie ahead in the future.
• He said that supporting equal access to resources should be the top priority for the WHO in the coming years.
• Last year, India established WHO’s first Global Centre for Traditional Medicine.

About WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine

• WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine is established to support WHO’s efforts to implement the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023.
  • The WHO strategy aims to support Member States in developing proactive policies and implementing action plans that will strengthen the role traditional medicine plays in keeping populations healthy.
• The first WHO GCTM in the world has been established in Jamnagar, Gujarat under the Ministry of AYUSH.

Q1) What is the mission of UNICEF?

UNICEF is committed to ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children – victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation, and those with disabilities. UNICEF responds in emergencies to protect the rights of children.

Q2) What is the meaning of Genome in simple words?

Genome is the complete set of DNA (genetic material) in an organism. In people, almost every cell in the body contains a complete copy of the genome. The genome contains all of the information needed for a person to develop and grow.

Source: World health meet: PM Modi for equity in health care | WHO