As CPA prepares for CHOGM24, we look back at a major milestone in our advocacy work at the 36CHMM and 77th WHA earlier this year in Geneva
The Road to CHOGM24
As CPA prepares for CHOGM24, we look back at a major milestone in our advocacy work at the 36CHMM and 77th WHA earlier this year in Geneva
In late May 2024, Commonwealth Health Ministers and global health leaders met in Geneva for the 36th Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting (36CHMM). This year’s gathering of Commonwealth health policy-makers was held in parallel with the 77th session of the World Health Assembly (WHA), the primary decision-making organ of the World Health Organisation.
These two meetings – arguably the largest and most influential gatherings of health leaders in the world – come at a time when the world is struggling to achieve the UN’S Sustainable Development Goals, a situation acknowledged by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in his remarks to the WHA.
The urgency of 36CHMM’s theme, ‘Actionable Solutions to Building Resilience in Health Systems within the Commonwealth, with an Emphasis on Small and Vulnerable States’, has since been highlighted by the devastating impact of Hurricane Beryl on parts of the Caribbean.
Much of the work CPA has been doing, for example in our programmes to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or strengthen the ability of Pharmacists to manage non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in primary care, is about supporting healthcare systems in low-and-middle-income countries to tackle emerging or intensified healthcare threats that are being exacerbated by the climate crisis or changing socioeconomic conditions.
That’s why as the professional body for and the leading voice advocating on behalf of our profession within the Commonwealth, CPA used these meetings as an opportunity to present the six key recommendations from the Commonwealth Civil Society Policy Forum convened earlier this year by the Commonwealth Health Professions and Partners Alliance (CHPA):
- Addressing the effects of climate change on health, prioritising the response to climate change on human health in the development of all future policies and resources, with development partners urged to invest in small island states.
- Strengthening health emergency capabilities, with preparedness plans across the Commonwealth for the emerging natural disaster scenarios made possible by the changing climate.
- Building workforce capacity and capability, with national action plans for the implementation of holistic health strategies, focusing on disease prevention and early management.
- Intergenerational learning to develop healthier communities, both mentally and physically, across the whole life course.
- Tackling the workforce crisis across the Commonwealth with ethical guidelines for recruitment from low-and-middle income countries, with health exchanges and cross-country partnerships to strengthen LMIC health systems and mitigate impact of ‘brain drain’.
- Establish cross-sector national and local programmes and policies designed to build workforce resilience, including and especially tackling poor working conditions, abuse of healthcare providers and pay gaps.
We were delighted to see that these recommendations and our programme priorities were reflected in some of the 67 resolutions agreed at 36CHMM – including resolutions focus on health system resilience, strengthening the healthcare workforce, greater partnership working, giving primacy to the intersection of climate change and public health, fighting diseases like cancer, greater support for mental health and much more.
At the World Health Assembly, CPA welcomed the news that there would be an additional $7bn USD in funding for an ambitious four-year global health strategy in the form of the WHO’s first ever Investment Round Fund. This money is expected to help develop over 3 million health workers, strengthen health access for 150 million people and save more than 40 million lives that would otherwise be lost to disease or lack of adequate care. The Prime Minister of Barbados and Global Health Leader Award recipient Mia Mottley noted in her speech to the WHA how critical this investment will be to Small Island Developing States like Barbados, a Commonwealth member.
“I am so incredibly proud of our profession, working as part of the multidisciplinary team in collaboration with CHPA members and stepping up to the challenge of leading this year’s Commonwealth Civil Society Forum and amplifying the voice of civil society in the recommendations presented to Commonwealth Health Ministers at CHMM, which called for collective action to tackle some of the world’s biggest global health threats and help build a more resilient Commonwealth.”
Victoria Rutter
Chief Executive Officer, CPA
Reflections on CPA's participation from Raymond Anderson
Raymond is a retired Community Pharmacist with over 40 years of experience and a Past President of CPA. He is currently serving as a member of the charity’s Board of Trustees, and is a Fellow and Patron of CPA.
It was a privilege to accompany Beth Ward (CPA Head of Workforce Development) to Geneva for the CHMM and the WHA this year representing CPA as a Past President, Patron and Trustee. We were able to catch up with colleagues and friends and meet with funders and members of the WHO who we are working with on some of our projects. It was also a time to advocate for the profession among the wider Healthcare sector.
Over the last few years, CPA has been developing new workstreams and expanding on the success of existing projects such as CwPAMS and the CPD platform. Our relationship with WHO and the Commonwealth Secretariat and Foundation have been very important in establishing the credibility of our work and we are therefore delighted to be able to continue these partnerships through meetings like C36HMM and the WHA.
The purpose of this year’s Health Ministers Meeting was to bring ministerial teams and health leaders together to “foster a shared understanding of health system resilience to achieve Universal health Coverage (UHC) and health security and to catalyse joint action towards strengthening health systems within the Commonwealth”. After hearing opening remarks, we were invited to take part in breakout sessions looking at every aspect of this mission and this year’s theme.
I was able to attend a session on “Capacity and Capabilities of the Health Workforce” where the challenge, particularly around the migration of health workers was discussed. The training in and then the migration from LMIC’s of health workers is causing great concern. It is having a significant impact on the delivery of healthcare in countries which are already struggling with providing for the needs of their populations.
We must find a way to mitigate these challenges and support those countries who are providing workers for developed health systems in countries with higher standards of living, and so offer an attractive destination for workers with qualifications and expertise. We must of course respect the right of individuals to migrate and benefit from overseas training opportunities.
This is why, however, CPA is advocating for ethical frameworks to help inform global recruitment practices – like the better implementation of the WHO Global Code of Practice on International Recruitment of Health Personnel. We were able to present the recommendations of CHPA at the meeting to that end.
It was heartening to see that in this and in other key areas of work, the recommendations from CPA and our partners in the CHPA were reflected in the resolutions adopted by Ministers at the meeting.
CPA’s advocacy work in the run-up to and at meetings like this plays a crucial role in shaping policy outcomes and priorities across the Commonwealth. Our success in helping to shape the agenda and outcomes of 36CHMM is also a pivotal moment on the road to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa later this year, where CPA policy papers will be considered by leadership delegations from all 56 Commonwealth countries.
We depend on the generous support of our Patrons like Raymond to be able to do this important advocacy work, from funding policy recommendation development to enabling us to send delegations to lobby influential decision-makers at events like 36CHMM. For just £15 per month, you can become a Patron of CPA and make an important contribution to our efforts to strengthen healthcare systems and improve patient outcomes around the world.