The first in a series of side events, organized in the run-up to the 73rd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC73), was held on 4 September 2023 on the development of WHO’s 14th General Programme of Work 2025–2028 (GPW 14).
“The GPW 14 is about imagining the future and future health needs of people around the world, and we want to make this a participatory process, a co-production with Member States,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, in opening the event.
Dr Kluge also underlined how the European Programme of Work 2020–2025 has anticipated several of the elements proposed in the new GPW 14, including a focus on digital health, emergency preparedness, and climate change and health.
This consultative process is already underway, with the first consultation with Member States held in August, and further consultations with countries are scheduled over the coming 4 months until the next Executive Board session in January 2024.
GPW 14: goal and objectives
The broad goal proposed for GPW14 is to promote, provide and protect the health and well-being of all people, everywhere. Acknowledging that the world is dramatically different since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, GPW14 is conceived as a framework to manage today’s health challenges, and be forward-thinking, to address the impact of the climate crisis on health, and demographic changes.
6 strategic objectives have been put forward to reach this goal:
- achieve transformative action on climate change and health;
- ensure health is at the centre of policy agendas that drive determinants and root causes;
- address inequities in the coverage of essential health services and interventions;
- reverse the trend in catastrophic health spending;
- ensure all countries are prepared to prevent and mitigate health risks; and
- rapidly detect and respond to acute crises and ensure essential services in protracted crises.
The proposed GPW 14 also acknowledges the direct and amplifying effect that WHO has on the entire ecosystem for health, and the need to work with non-state actors, the private sector, youth representatives, and others towards health for all.
Member State feedback and next steps
Dr Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director General at WHO headquarters and co-chair of the Senior Staff Steering Committee, noted that, in the consultations held so far, Member States have responded positively to the plan, and the strategic objectives have resonated well. Countries have also welcomed the organizational shift towards prioritizing impact at the country level, complemented by stronger WHO country offices and regional offices.
Representatives from over 20 Member States in the WHO European Region attended the side event, welcoming the collaborative way in which GPW 14 was being developed, and the inclusion of climate change and health as a strategic priority.
The second broad consultation with WHO Member States will take place in the first week of October, and the GPW 14 will also be on the agenda at RC73.
RC73 side events
This side event is one of a series of 7 events held in the weeks preceding the 73rd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, to engage delegates, partners and health experts on developments, initiatives and forthcoming reports relevant to health across the Region.