Public Health Agency of Canada – The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, participated in the 67th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva last week. During the plenary sessions, committee meetings and events held on the sidelines of the WHA, Minister Ambrose pushed Canada’s health and development goals with world health leaders.

Minister Ambrose addressed the Assembly on Monday, highlighting the importance of immunization to address the threat, and curb the spread of, infectious diseases in a world that is becoming more interconnected. She also spoke of the unacceptable number of women and children in developing countries who die each year — deaths that could be prevented with clean water, nutritious food and vaccinations — and reaffirmed Canada’s ongoing commitment to advance maternal, newborn and child health priorities on the global stage.
 

Canada was pleased to support and co-sponsor a number of resolutions last week at the WHA:

• Addressing the global challenge of violence, particularly violence against women and children, by strengthening the health sector response. Violence is a public health issue and the health system has a leading role to play in addressing violence and supporting victims;
• The Every Newborn Action Plan, which aims to enhance and support coordinated planning and implementation of actions to improve newborn health. The plan aligns with Canada’s efforts to champion international action to end preventable maternal and under-five child deaths, such as the 2010 Muskoka Initiative and the upcoming Global Summit on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Toronto, May 28-30, to be hosted by Prime Minister Harper;
• Comprehensive and coordinated efforts for the management of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Government of Canada is committed to improving the quality of life for people living with ASD and their families through investments in surveillance, research and innovation in the treatment and care, and investments to support vocational training programs and new jobs for individuals with ASD;
• A global plan to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The Government of Canada believes that effectively addressing this growing public health concern requires national and international collaboration in surveillance, research, knowledge transfer and exchange, and identification of best practices; and
• Using the World Health Organization (WHO) traditional medicine strategy as the basis for national traditional and complementary medicine programs. This resolution acknowledges the growing recognition of traditional and complementary medicine and the importance of quality assurance, safety, proper use and effectiveness.

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