Through ICN, member nursing associations have a seat at many of the highest policy tables; one of the most important of which is the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of WHO.  The WHA is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget. ICN successfully advocates for the inclusion of nurses in national delegations to these meetings and provides briefings and information material to our members who are part of their country delegations or the ICN delegation to the Assembly. 

For this year’s WHA, ICN will be making interventions on: WHO reform (WHPA); prevention and treatment of NCDs (WHPA); global burden of mental disorders (ICN); substandard/spurious/falsely-labelled/counterfeit medical products (WHPA); and WHO’s human resources annual report.  Of particular concern to ICN is nursing’s absence from WHO, which will undermine key programme targets and goals.  See article on front page and ICN fact sheet.

Other issues of importance to nursing

• Monitoring of the achievement of MDGs
• Social determinants
• Health systems strengthening
• Prevention and control of MDR-XDR/TB
• Global health sector strategy on HIV/AIDS