[Ip-health] Intervention by USA at WHO Executive Board: WHO's role and responsibilities in health research

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

U.S. Statement

WHO's  role and responsibilities in health research
Agenda Item 4.9

Mr. Chairman,

The United States supports the WHO=92s renewed commitment to research,
as this builds on the Organization=92s core function of =93shaping a
research agenda and stimulating the generation, translation and
dissemination of valuable knowledge.=94

We support the draft strategy=92s plan to strengthen the research
culture across the WHO Secretariat through bolstering existing
mechanisms for good research practice, the enhancement of the research-
related competencies of relevant professional staff, and improvement
in the management and coordination of WHO-affiliated research.

However, we believe the expansion of research conducted by the WHO
itself could lead to duplication of effort and dilute WHO=92s resources
as the Organization simultaneously assists Member States in the
expansion of their own capacity to conduct research. Moreover, we
believe the WHO Secretariat=92s strength lies in the translation of
research findings into technical guidance for Member States, rather
than in conducting pure research itself.

We also question the strategy=92s portrayal of copyright and
intellectual property issues. We do not see them as contributing to
=93the global inequality of access to health data, tools, materials, and
literature=94 as mentioned in paragraph 63 of the Annex. These
mechanisms exist to assist researchers in gaining access to the
materials they need to advance their research.

For example, the public-access policy at the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
ensures the public has access to the published results of NIH-funded
research. It requires scientists to submit final, peer-reviewed
journal manuscripts that arise from NIH funds to the digital archive
Pub Med Central upon acceptance for publication. To help advance
science and improve human health, the policy requires these papers are
accessible to the public on PubMed Central no later than twelve months
after publication.

Finally, we are concerned that the draft resolution presented by the
Secretariat foresees a role for Member States to implement the
research strategy, which is for the management and organization of
research activities within WHO.

We propose a simple resolution, as we have just adopted on the climate
change work plan, to endorse the research strategy.

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Thiru Balasubramaniam
Geneva Representative
Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)
thiru@keionline.org


Tel: +41 22 791 6727
Mobile: +41 76 508 0997