Major public health issues on agenda at UN meeting in Geneva

The top United Nations health decision-making body kicks off its annual session in Geneva today focusing on a draft global immunization strategy as well as other international strategies aimed at disease control and prevention.

The meeting of the World Health Assembly, which oversees the work of the UN World Health Organization (WHO), will review the agency’s proposed budget and consider more than a dozen draft resolutions on such issues as cancer prevention and control, tuberculosis, malaria, pandemic influenza and health insurance.

The Assembly will also receive updates on progress in polio eradication, scaling up of HIV/AIDS treatment and care, and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. This year's invited speakers are the President of the Republic of Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Bill Gates, Co-Founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In a related development, WHO announced plans to appoint the renowned Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra collectively as a “Goodwill Ambassador” for the agency today. The aim is for the renown orchestra to employ its talent and wide reach in raising awareness of WHO's work on important public health issues

The Assembly, comprised of the 192 WHO Member States, will continue its session through 25 May.