This year, around World Health Day, parliamentarians from around the world are advocating to be included in their national delegation in the 76th World Health Assembly in May 2023.
Even though parliamentarians are enrolled in the process of ratification of different global agreements and are the ones approving budgets and passing legislation, they are often behind the scenes on the national delegations that represent their respective countries on global health forums. Parliamentarians play a critical role in national health policy development, and their participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA) is crucial to ensure that the voices of their constituents are represented and their interests are taken into account. However, in many countries, parliamentarians are not included in the delegation to the WHA, which limits their ability to influence global health policies and advocate for their country’s priorities.
By joining their delegation, parliamentarians can make a significant contribution to global health governance, bring attention to national health priorities, and strengthen their country’s position in international health policy discussions”
– Hon. Ricardo Baptista Leite, UNITE’s President and Founder
UNITE is supporting members in reaching out to their governments. The ‘Join Your Delegation’ campaign seeks to raise awareness among parliamentarians of the importance of their participation in the WHA and to encourage them to advocate for their inclusion in their country’s delegation. Hon. Neema Lugangira, MP in Tanzania and UNITE member, was present at the last edition of the WHA, and shared her point of view in this matter (watch video).
We have a critical role to play towards strengthening as well as making sure that populations have access to health systems.
– Hon. Neema Lugangira, Member of Parliament in Tanzania
For more information on the “Join Your Delegation” campaign, visit the dedicated page.
All resources are available and will be updated here.
