WCC news: As WHO assembly starts, WCC reaffirms commitment to “health for all”

“The ill health and suffering experienced by the least and the most vulnerable must be felt by and responded to by all in a united, equitable, effective, and mutually accountable manner,” wrote Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary in a message to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization (WHO) director-general, as the 77th World Health Assembly is taking place in Geneva. Nursing student Lucia Daud James takes a blood sample from a child to test for malaria in the Sika Hadid Primary Health Care Center in Wau, South Sudan. James is a student at the Catholic Health Training Institute, which is sponsored by Solidarity with South Sudan. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth 28 May 2024 “We share WHO's mission of promoting health, keeping the world safe, and serving the vulnerable. Through these efforts, more people will benefit from universal health coverage, be better protected from health emergencies, and enjoy better health and well-being,” added Pillay. Held annually, the World Health Assembly is WHO’s decision-making body. It is attended by delegations from all WHO member states and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine WHO policies, appoint the WHO director-general, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget.  Experts will discuss current and future priorities for public health issues of global importance.  The WCC has had 50 years of collaboration with WHO, with their work together involving strategizing, publications, seminars, webinars, and responding to crises such as HIV, the Ebola outbreak, and COVID-19 pandemic. A WCC delegation is participating in the assembly from 27 May-1 June under the theme “All for Health, Health for All.” Read the full letter of the WCC general secretary See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland