Wellness Pilipinas International: WHO Declaration of Astana: New global commitment t...

New global commitment to primary health care for all at Astana conference
Declaration of Astana charts course to achieve universal health coverage, 40 years since declaration on primary health care in Alma-Ata
25 October 2018
News Release
Astana, Kazakhstan






Русский




Countries around the world today agreed to the Declaration of Astana, vowing to strengthen their primary health care systems as an essential step toward achieving universal health coverage. The Declaration of Astana reaffirms the historic 1978 Declaration of Alma-Ata, the first time world leaders committed to primary health care.

“Today, instead of health for all, we have health for some,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). “We all have a solemn responsibility to ensure that today’s declaration on primary health care enables every person, everywhere to exercise their fundamental right to health.”

While the 1978 Declaration of Alma-Ata laid a foundation for primary health care, progress over the past four decades has been uneven. At least half the world’s population lacks access to essential health services – including care for noncommunicable and communicable diseases, maternal and child health, mental health, and sexual and reproductive health.

“Although the world is a healthier place for children today than ever before, close to 6 million children die every year before their fifth birthday mostly from preventable causes, and more than 150 million are stunted,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “We as a global community can change that, by bringing quality health services close to those who need them. That’s what primary health care is about.”

The Declaration of Astana comes amid a growing global movement for greater investment in primary health care to achieve universal health coverage. Health resources have been overwhelmingly focused on single disease interventions rather than strong, comprehensive health systems – a gap highlighted by several health emergencies in recent years.

“Adoption of the Declaration at this global conference in Astana will set new directions for the development of primary health care as a basis of health care systems,” said Yelzhan Birtanov, Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan. “The new Declaration reflects obligations of countries, people, communities, health care systems and partners to achieve healthier lives through sustainable primary health care.”

UNICEF and WHO will help governments and civil society to act on the Declaration of Astana and encourage them to back the movement. UNICEF and WHO will also support countries in reviewing the implementation of this Declaration, in cooperation with other partners.


Notes to editors:

The Global Conference on Primary Health Care is taking place from 25-26 October in Astana, Kazakhstan, co-hosted by WHO, UNICEF and the Government of Kazakhstan. Participants include ministers of health, finance, education and social welfare; health workers and patient advocates; youth delegates and activists; and leaders representing bilateral and multilateral institutions, global health advocacy organizations, civil society, academia, philanthropy, media and the private sector.


The Declaration of Astana, unanimously endorsed by all WHO Member States, makes pledges in four key areas: (1) make bold political choices for health across all sectors; (2) build sustainable primary health care; (3) empower individuals and communities; and (4) align stakeholder support to national policies, strategies and plans.Wellness Pilipinas International: WHO Declaration of Astana: New global commitment t...: Declaration of Astana charts course to achieve universal health coverage, 40 years since declaration on primary health care in Alma-Ata 25...

UN agency ramps up effort to counter growing nuclear threat from cyberspace

Photo: IAEA/Giovanni Verlini
IAEA International Remediation Expert Mission examines Reactor Unit 3 during a visit to TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant. 

24 October 2018
Peace and Security
As part of its efforts to strengthen nuclear security worldwide, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), announced on Wednesday that it has developed a training programme designed to protect facilities from the growing threat of cyber-attacks.


The programme kicked off in October with a course entitled “Protecting Computer-Based Systems in Nuclear Security Regimes,” which brought together 37 participants from 13 countries for two weeks of immersive training on best practices in computer security.


The IAEA is the world's central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field.


The new course, developed together with the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and hosted by the Idaho National Laboratory, is the first in a series of IAEA information and computer security courses focusing on raising awareness of the threat posed by cyber-attacks, and their potential impact on nuclear facilities around the world.


Participants tested their skills on mock-ups that accurately replicate state-of-the-art digital systems common in today’s control rooms, where digital technologies provide functions that support safe operations, security, and the protection of sensitive information.


“Everyone with responsibility for nuclear security must have a thorough understanding of the vulnerabilities of their systems,” said Raja Adnan, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Security, adding that “they must know how to prevent and mitigate possible cyber-attacks on those systems.”


In June, IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano warned a Paris conference on the use of digital technology in the nuclear industry, that instrumentation and control systems in nuclear power plants could be subject to cyber-attacks, with potentially serious consequences.


He urged the nuclear industry and national regulators to build up the data and experience needed to ensure that new systems meet all reliability and performance requirements.


The IAEA, which is headquartered in the Austrian capital, Vienna, works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, contributing to international peace and security and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.


NUCLEAR ENERGY


https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/10/1024072