VINCENTIAN DELEGATION OFF TO WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY
Minister of Health Hon. St. Clair Jimmy Prince along with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Slmone Keizer- Beache, left the state today for the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Assembly, whick takes place from 19-27 May 2025, will discuss several critical global health issues. Included in these are the final draft of the pandemic agreement, human resources for health, combating antimicrobial resistance, addressing climate change impacts, and tackling chronic non-communicable diseases.
The historic pandemic agreement reached on the text in the early hours of 16 April after three years of talks on how to prevent, prepare for, and deal with, future pandemics in an equitable manner – unlike what happened during COVID when wealthy nations hoarded vaccines at the expense of low- and middle-income countries.
The procedural document outlining the steps to adoption, which will be done in terms of Article 19 of the WHO Constitution, makes sobering reading.
The delegation is expected to join its regional counterparts in advocating for solutions for health sector challenges experienced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and hold additional sessions which will focus on priority areas for the Caribbean Community as well as the Assembly’s agenda items of interest to Member States.
