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WHA Resolutions
The Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly,
Having considered the report on regulatory system strengthening;2
Welcoming the efforts of the Director-General, and recognizing the pivotal role that WHO plays in supporting countries in strengthening their regulatory systems of medical products for human use,3 and in promoting equitable access to quality, safe, efficacious and affordable medical products;
Recalling the Constitution of the World Health Organization, which affirms that the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition;
Recalling also United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/81 on global health and foreign policy, which, inter alia, recognized the importance of universal coverage in national health systems, especially through primary health care and social protection mechanisms, in the provision of access to health services for all, in particular for the poorest segments of the population;
Recalling further resolutions WHA45.17, WHA47.17, WHA52.19, WHA54.11, WHA59.24, WHA63.12 and WHA65.19, all of which encompass aspects of the need to promote the quality, safety, efficacy and affordability of medicines, including blood products;
Reaffirming resolution WHA65.19 on substandard/spurious/falsely-labelled/falsified/ counterfeit medical products, which establishes a new Member State mechanism for international collaboration, from a public health perspective, excluding trade and intellectual property considerations, to prevent and control substandard/spurious/falsely-labelled/falsified/ counterfeit medical products and to promote access to affordable, safe and quality medical products;
Recognizing that effective regulatory systems are an essential component of health system strengthening and contribute to better public health outcomes, that regulators are an essential part of the health workforce, and that inefficient regulatory systems themselves can be a barrier to access to safe, effective and quality medical products;
Recognizing also that effective regulatory systems are necessary for implementing universal health coverage, responding to the dual burden of infectious and noncommunicable diseases, and achieving Millennium Development Goal 4 (Reduce child mortality), Goal 5 (Improve maternal health) and Goal 6 (Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases);
Aware that health systems need to promote access to essential medical products and that, in order to ensure universal access to health care, rational use of medicines and the sustainability of health systems, urgent action is needed by the international community, Member States and relevant actors in...