World Health Assembly hears warnings over WHO’s relationship with industry

Delegates at the World Health Assembly have failed to agree on how the World Health Organization should collaborate with industry and other bodies.

Member states spent the week discussing WHO’s draft framework of engagement with non-state actors, a document that spells out the ground rules for WHO’s relationship with bodies from industry, academia, and non-governmental and philanthropic organisations. However, delegates could not come up with a final draft and agreed that an intergovernmental meeting, taking place no later than October, should produce a final statement in time for WHO’s executive board meeting in January.

Many non-governmental organisations and member states see the framework as crucial in clarifying WHO’s relationship with industries and avoiding conflicts of interest. Some …