WHO To Boost Indigenous People’s Health …To Tackle Drowning As Health Menace

The World Health Organisation (WHO) last  Monday  approved a resolution to boost the health of indigenous peoples across the globe.
This follows requests by the Director-General to develop a global action plan for the health of indigenous peoples and to present it to the 79th World Health Assembly in 2026.
Indigenous peoples, although representing diverse population groups and communities, in general have considerably lower life expectancy than non-indigenous populations.
They also have a higher prevalence of many diseases and adverse health conditions, including diabetes, maternal and infant mortality and malnutrition.
The WHO assembly requested the action plan be developed in consultation with indigenous peoples; that WHO provide support to Member States, upon request, for improving indigenous health; and that the improvement of indigenous peoples’ health be included in the development of the Fourteenth WHO General Programme of Work.
In the same resolution, the Health Assembly urged Member States to, among other tasks, develop knowledge about the health situation of indigenous peoples, with their free, prior and informed consent; develop, fund and implement national health plans, strategies or other measures for indigenous peoples; encourage the attraction, training, recruitment and retention of indigenous peoples as health workers taking into account the traditional knowledge and practices.
The delegates at the 76th World Health Assembly has  agreed on a resolution to accelerate action on global drowning prevention. The resolution requests Member States to assess their national drowning situation and to develop and implement multisectoral drowning prevention programmes.
Drowning causes 236 000 deaths every year. It is a leading global cause of injury-related child deaths. Over the past decade, 2.5 million people died from drowning, and over 90% of those occurred in low- and middle-income countries.
At the invitation of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, WHO will coordinate actions within the UN system on drowning prevention and facilitate the observance of World Drowning Prevention Day on 25 July each year.
WHO will also set up a Global Alliance for Drowning Prevention with organisations of the United Nations system, international development partners and nongovernmental organisations. To better understand the true burden and impact of drowning, the resolution further requests WHO to prepare a global status report on drowning prevention.