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At the 77th world health assembly and upon Israel‘s request the decision A77/B/CONF./1 on “Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan” should be supplemented by one point: the unconditional, immediate release of the hostages from October 7, 2023 and condemnation of the use of health facilities by armed groups. The amendment was adopted by the World Health Assembly with 50 votes in favor, 44 member states voted against, 31 abstained and 52 were absent at the time of the vote. 17 countries were not entitled to vote. Egypt then announced its intention to withdraw the original draft decision. However, as this withdrawal requires the consent of the proposer of the amendment (Israel), the Member States withdrew for consultations. The final decision was postponed.
On March 21, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on "safe, secure and trustworthy" artificial intelligence (AI). Among other things, the resolution emphasizes the respect, protection and promotion of human rights in the design and application of AI. The draft resolution was co-sponsored by 123 members and adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly. The resolution is the first stand-alone General Assembly resolution on AI and reinforces existing efforts by UN organizations, such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and international processes, such as the UN Global Digital Pact announced for September 2024. The unity of the UN members underlines the globally recognized potential of AI, especially in terms of international development, the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and global cooperation.
The 55th UN Human Rights Council met from 26 February to 5 April 2024, making it the longest Council session to date. A total of 33 resolutions were adopted, comparatively fewer than in the previous year. This again included numerous country mandates. Among others, the fact-finding mission on Iran was extended, which was set up at the instigation of Germany and Iceland in November 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini. It came to the conclusion that the subsequent repression of the nationwide protests under the slogan "Women, Life, Freedom" and the pervasive institutional discrimination against women and girls may amount to crimes against humanity. The International Commission of Inquiry on human rights violations in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression was also extended. In its latest report, the group focused on evidence on torture against Ukrainian prisoners of wars and concerning the unlawful transfer of children to areas under Russian control. Moreover, a group of three independent experts was mandated for the first time to further investigate the human rights situation in Belarus. The Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan was also extended. And a historic resolution on the rights of intersex people was adopted. However, the spring session focused mainly on the war in Gaza. Among others, a resolution on accountability was adopted, which calls for an immediate ceasefire, the cessation of the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munition and other military equipment to Israel as well as for a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention. The text was criticised by Germany and the USA in particular, as although it calls for the immediate release of all hostages, Hamas itself is not mentioned.
Mapping Multilateral Progress on Climate Change, Antimicrobial Resistance, and National Action Plans: The latest developments from the WHO Executive Board meeting can be discovered with our three insightful maps. From addressing the intersection of climate change and health to accelerating responses to antimicrobial resistance, delve into the collective efforts of member states in shaping global health policies.
With only a few days before the beginning of the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (MC13), WTO members have not been able to agree on whether to renew or discontinue the Moratorium on imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions (so-called E-Commerce Moratorium). The first map shows the positions of members according to four draft ministerial decisions. Two draft decisions support the renewal of the moratorium, one explicitly calls for its termination and one omits any mention of the moratorium altogether. The second map shows how members have sided on the issue of the E-Commerce Moratorium ahead of the last Ministerial Conference (MC12) and explores whether there have been any shifts. While there are no declared changes in positions, the most recent proposal of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) is noteworthy because it distances itself to some extent from India and South Africa, who often act up as advocates of developing countries.
The map of the month January illustrates the voting behaviour of members of the UN Human Rights Council in 2023 in line with Germany’s versus China's positioning in the Council. A total of 109 resolutions were adopted in the Human Rights Council last year, 35 of which were put to a vote due to a lack of consensus. In addition to the EU member states, Montenegro, Ukraine and the United Kingdom voted most frequently in line with Germany; Cameroon (9%), India, Bangladesh, Sudan, Pakistan, Algeria and China (14% each) the least. Of all Central and South American Council members, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Chile and Mexico voted most frequently in line with Germany; of the African states Gambia, Benin and Malawi did so. By contrast, Eritrea, Cuba and Bolivia voted with China most frequently, while the United Kingdom never voted with China, the USA and the Czech Republic hardly ever and the EU member states represented in the Council, Montenegro and Ukraine voted with China least frequently. China and the USA only voted together once: they both rejected a resolution on the question of the death penalty.
Controversial elements in the negotiation of a pandemic agreement are discussed in four thematic sub-working groups. All WHO regions are involved in the facilitation of the sub-working groups: (1) the African region: Ethiopia, South Africa and Tanzania; (2) the Americas region: Canada, USA and Brazil; (3) the South-East Asia region: India and Thailand; (4) the European region: Norway and the United Kingdom, (5) the Eastern Mediterranean region: Egypt and (6) the Western Pacific region: Australia, Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines. Each is chaired by a member of the INB office.
During the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties a declaration on climate and health was negotiated on 1 December 2023. In the first fortnight since the declaration, 142 countries and the European Union have joined, emphasizing the critical link between climate change and human health and the urgency of action.
Director KAS Genf Office
