WCCS Joins Global Health Leaders at the 77th World Health Assembly with the WFC

After the preparatory Youth PreWHA week, our Director of Public Relations, Michelle Fontana, had the privilege to attend the World Health Assembly (WHA) as part of the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) delegation. The delegation included notable figures like DC Richard Brown (WFC Secretary General), DC Deborah Kopansky-Giles (WFC Past Council Member), Dr. Julie-Lyn Noel (EUROSPINE Director of Education), Dr. Anthony Woolf (Past Chair of the Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health), and Jamie Greenawalt (President of Foot Levelers Inc.).

The WHA, the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), convenes annually in Geneva with its 194 Member States to set policies, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and approve budget. The week-long event includes committee meetings focused on technical, health, financial, and management issues, and plenary sessions where all WHA delegates convene to hear reports and adopt resolutions proposed by the committees. Alongside the WHA schedule, numerous side events unite member states, health sector actors, civil society, and persons with disabilities to discuss inclusive health systems and advancing health initiatives.

This year’s assembly was themed “All For Health, Health For All” and began on May 27, 2024, with speeches from Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and the election of Dr. Edwin Dikoloti of Botswana as President of the Health Assembly. Over the course of the next five days, Member States discussed various important healthcare issues:

• 27 May 2024: Agreement on three key resolutions: a Global Infection Prevention Strategy aiming to reduce health care associated infections (HAIs) by 2030, a resolution to enhance rehabilitation services and addressing workforce shortages, and a resolution to strengthen diagnostic services across various diseases and improve access and technology transfer.

• 28 May 2024: Approval of an $11.1 billion four-year strategy to tackle health challenges such as climate change, aging, migration, pandemics, and equity. Key initiatives include improving primary health care, financial protection, and health emergency responses. Launching of an investment case to support this strategy, aiming to save 40 million lives and improve the health of 6 billion people.

• 29 May 2024: Adoption of WHA’s first-ever resolution on social participation, enhancing public involvement in health decisions. Call for a global strategy on emergency, critical, and operative care by 2035. Approval of a resolution to integrate mental health support in emergency responses. Celebration of 50 years immunization success and discussion of the economic importance of health, emphasizing innovative financing and universal health coverage initiatives.

• 30 May 2024: Approval of several key resolutions, including a groundbreaking agreement on ethical transplantation practices, a new global action plan for infection prevention and control, and a commitment to recover lost progress in maternal, newborn, and child survival. Approval of a resolution to mobilize action against antimicrobial resistance and discussion of the potential and governance of artificial intelligence in health care.

• 31 May 2024: The WHA addressed climate change’s health risks, restructured economies for health, leveraged sports for well-being, tackled antimicrobial resistance, supported increased WHO funding, addressed the health emergency in Ukraine, advanced polio eradication, maintained smallpox virus stocks for research, reviewed WHO’s emergency responses, and strengthened laboratory biosafety.

Next to the plenary and committee sessions, Miss Fontana attended several side events focusing on non-communicable diseases, rehabilitation, and health workers’ well-being, aligning closely with chiropractic expertise and topics for the 2025 UN High-Level meeting.

Engaging in these kind of events offers an invaluable experience, and the importance of this involvement can be encapsulated in several key areas:

1. Advocacy: Representing the chiropractic profession and youth, fostering interprofessional collaboration to achieve our common goal for accessible and safe healthcare for all and promoting a more integrated approach to addressing public health challenges.

2. Knowledge Enhancement: Gaining insights into policy-making and strategic thinking, enhancing the understanding of the broader healthcare system and how one can contribute to this vital field.

3. Networking: Opportunities to connect with global health leaders, policymakers, and professionals, fostering beneficial collaborations.

4. Professional Development: Developing relevant skills by attending workshops and sessions, encouraging to think outside the box and learning to effectively advocate and represent both themselves and the profession to high level healthcare professionals.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the WFC for supporting chiropractic students and providing the opportunity to attend this high-level event, empowering the next generation of chiropractic professionals and advocates.