Why Global Health Is Center Stage at the United Nations General Assembly

At this year’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), an annual meeting where dignitaries from 193 nations gather in New York City, world leaders are expected to discuss a number of conflicts with implications for global health, including climate change and the ongoing refugee crisis. The theme of this year’s UNGA General Debate—where world leaders, including President Donald Trump, will deliver statements on issues of international concern—is “Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet.” While the debate officially kicks off on Tuesday, much of the action happens outside the main halls, where experts and leaders share solutions to pressing problems and often invite the public to observe or participate. UN leaders say that global health will likely receive significant attention, even though it is not on the formal agenda as it was last year, when there was a high-level meeting on antibiotic resistance. “Without health, there is nothing,” says Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), in an interview with TIME. “At the UNGA, I think people are starting to realize that health is central. It’s very important to fight poverty, very important for economic growth, very important for employment, very important for equity, very important to prevent epidemics.” Here are the health topics likely to make waves at this year&#...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized antibiotic resistance climate change dr. tedros global health public health Refugees UNGA UNGA 2017 United Nations General Assembly universal health care Source Type: news