Brussels, 11/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - Dr Margaret Chan, director general for the World Health Organisation (WHO), will be visiting the European Commission on Tuesday 12 June. A Commission press release indicated that Dr Marc Danzon, the WHO regional director for Europe, would be accompanying Dr Chan, who will be meeting President Barroso, Commissioners Kyprianou and Potoènik, as well as the directors general of health, external relations, development and humanitarian aid.
During the fifth high level meeting between the WHO and the Commission, Dr Chan, President Barroso and Commissioner Kyprianou will discuss the potentially devastating health consequences of climate change, as an urgent priority for new EC-WHO collaboration. Taking into account troubling recent trends in Europe such as the first locally-derived case of malaria in Corsica, the Commission will announce the development of a new EU policy communication on the health consequences of climate change, informed by work being done in the WHO and other UN agencies. On global health security, the WHO director general will emphasise the imminent entry into force of the revised International Health Regulations on 15 June, which include new mechanisms to address public health emergencies such as pandemic flu. She will call on the Commission to help promote IHR implementation in the European Neighbourhood and low income countries. The Commission will emphasise its commitment to development aid to support and strengthen national health systems, reflecting country priorities including both communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Commissioner Potoènik will announce a high level meeting in early 2008, involving the Commission, WHO, African health and research ministries, and other stakeholders, on how best to harness EU research to deliver health benefits in the world's poorest countries. The Commission and WHO will also commit to increased collaboration in Africa, including working with the African Union on health workforce issues. During the day's seven meetings, a diverse range of issues will be discussed: effective implementation of the framework convention on tobacco control; health in wider Europe - EU enlargement and the European Neighbourhood Policy countries; development of the new EU health strategy, e-health and links to WHO initiatives; EU health systems research and the 2008 WHO Euro Ministerial Conference; health in African development policy including workforce migration; accelerating progress towards the health millennium development goals; supporting the European & developing countries clinical trials partnership; dealing with communicable disease outbreaks in emergency humanitarian aid context; supporting humanitarian reform by strengthening response capacity in emergencies and crises. (oj)