Geneva, Switzerland.
16 January 2009.
WHO Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan, the six Regional Directors and the Deputy Director-General, met in Geneva once concluded the 9th Meeting of the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee of the WHO-EB (EBPBAC) and before the celebration of the 124th Session of the WHO Executive Board in the first annual meeting of the Global Policy Group to review and discuss about some of the WHO main policy issues.
Reflections on WHO ways of working, a WHO management strategy with focus in the needs to be absolute clarity on policy, planning and resources by both WHO and donor partners, and demonstration of performance and outcomes was overall for the WHO Director-General and Regional Directors.
The Director-General summarized the most recent events that have required the attention of WHO, the work of the Organization in Gaza and the importance of the adequate use of resources given the current financial crisis. Dr. Chan underscored the importance of the austerity in recruitment of new personnel while keeping flexibility to cover key programmes that guarantees the efficient operation of the organization in the more relevant health issues.
At the meeting WHO Senior Public Health Policy-Makers discuss about the outcome of the EB-PBAC and make reflexions about the importance of look closely to the relationship between budgets and implementation capabilities. Extra budgeting resources and cash flow, the funds for NCDs and for administration, the allocation of funds from HQ to Regional Offices and the balance of the available resources among HQ, Regional Offices and Country Offices were others of the issues discussed.
The meeting exchanged experiences on independent oversight mechanisms. PAHO is further along the way in establishing a similar committee; as part of the resource based planning approach. Results based planning needs to be much further institutionalized.
Participants: Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General; Dr Anarfi Asamoa-Baah,
Deputy Director-General; Dr Luis Sambo, RD AFRO; Dr Mirta Roses Periago, RD AMRO; Dr Hussein Gezairy, RD EMRO; Dr Marc Danzon, RD EURO; Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, RD SEARO; Dr Shigeru Omi, RD WPRO; and; Dr Bill Kean, EXD/DGO; Mr Denis Aitken, ADG/GMG; Dr Anne-Marie Worning, D/PRP
The March Retreat of the GPG will be held in Albania, 23-25 March 2009.
The Global Policy Group, as reported by the Director-General in her message dated 7 April 2008, is committed to "…developing - and modeling - a corporate organizational culture…"
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