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Seventy-second World Health Assembly

20–28 May 2019
Geneva, Switzerland

The Seventy-second World Health Assembly (WHA72) will take place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 20-28 May 2019. The WHA, the decision-making body for World Health Organization (WHO), is attended by WHO Member States to determine the policies of the organization and review and approve the proposed programme budget.

Regarding the formal sessions, those related to nutrition this year include:
  • A72/11 : Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
  • A72/12 : Universal health coverage - Primary health care towards universal health coverage
  • A72/15 : Health, environment and climate change - Draft WHO global strategy on health, environment and climate change: the transformation needed to improve lives and well-being sustainably through healthy environments
  • A72/19 : Prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases - Follow-up to the high-level meetings of the United Nations General Assembly on health-related issues
  • A72/30 : Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016–2030)
  • A72/58 : Outcome of the Second International Conference on Nutrition
 
Beyond the plenary walls, several noteworthy side events on nutrition will be held throughout the week. These include:
  • Experiences on addressing NCDs risk factors and determinants on Monday 20 May (18:00-19:00hrs) hosted by Belize, Finland, St Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, and NCD Alliance in Room 24 of the Palais de Nations.
  • Monday 20 May (18:00-20:00hrs): Rethinking Global Health For UHC at the Intercontinental Hotel. Additional details are found here.
  • Childhood Obesity and the Global Syndemic - A New Narrative for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet is being organized by World Obesity Federation, UNICEF, NCD Free, NCD Child, and EAT. The event will take place on Tuesday 21 May (7:00-9:00hrs) in the Restaurant Vieux-Bois.
  • On Tuesday 21 May (12.30-14.30hrs), the event Chronic Care in Humanitarian Crises will be held in the Humanitarium, ICRC, 17 Avenue de la Paix.
  • Nutrition4Health: Nutrition Innovations along with NCDs Prevention for Achieving Universal Health Coverage within the Context of the 2030 Agenda and the UN Nutrition Decade has been organized by Albania, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cyprus, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, India, Italy, Lebanon, Malawi, Montenegro, the Philippine, Tunisia, and Uganda, with the participation of UNSCN and FAO. The event will take place from 18:00-19.30hrs on Tuesday 21 May in Room 23 of the Palais des Nations.
  • Prepared by NCD Alliance and Resolve to Save Lives, Nutrition Policy Action to Save Lives will take place in the Restaurant Vieux-Bois on Wednesday 22 May (12.30-14.00hrs).
  • Bahrain and Turkey have organized Disease Prevention: the role of Primary Healthcare in achieving Sustainable, Universal Health Coverage in the Palais des Nations on Friday 24 May (18:00-19:30).
  • The Scaling Up Nutrition Movement will hold the reception Building Momentum for Nutrition at the World Health Assembly and Beyond on 20 May to highlight key nutrition topics discussed during WHA72; and identify important upcoming opportunities to promote nutrition from the High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage through to Nutrition for Growth in Japan 2020. RSVP by Monday 13 May at: wha.nutritionhub@scalingupnutrition.org.
To prepare for WHA72 and inform the public about why these issues matter, we invite you to consider participating in the following events:
The complete set of documents can be found on the WHO website, including a Guide for Delegates

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