Fifth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health
Parallel session on Monday 3 April 2023, 15.00 – 16.30 CET
initiated, co-hosted and moderated by the MMI Network
How must we protect health and care workers every day and in health emergencies, in a situation of chronic scarcity of skilled people who care for us and risk their lives for doing so? The negotiation of a “WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response” by an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) provides an opportunity for defining new international legal norms.
An expert roundtable in October 2022 and the publication of a “zero draft” of the new WHO international instrument in February 2023 both provided a quite encouraging outlook: The protection and promotion of the rights of health and care workers are indeed a matter not neglected in the drafting of a new international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response by the WHO. Article 12 of the zero draft contains some new language on decent work and rights of health (and care) workers way beyond the usual “investment” narrative, as follows:
“Each Party shall take the necessary steps to safeguard, protect, invest in and sustain a skilled, trained, competent and committed health and care workforce, at all levels, in a gender-responsive manner, with due protection of its employment, civil and human rights and well-being, consistent with international obligations and relevant codes of practice, with the aim of increasing and sustaining capacities for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, while maintaining essential health services.
This includes, subject to national law, (…) addressing gender disparities and inequalities within the health and care workforce, to ensure meaningful representation, engagement, participation and empowerment of all health and care workers, while addressing discrimination, stigma and inequality and eliminating bias, including unequal remuneration, and noting that women still often face significant barriers to taking leadership and decision-making roles.”
But what difference will this section of the “pandemic treaty” and any other international legal instrument (WHO, ILO, HRC) make for the protection and promotion of the rights of health and care workers in “real life”, at national level, and in different settings? What will change if proposed governments’ obligations are “subject to national law”? Assessments to be deepened, strategizing to be continued within and beyond the WHO INB process, with the proposed parallel session as a milestone.
Programme
- Panel 1 with Sopo Japaridze (PHM), Osahon Enabulele (WMA) and Baba Aye (PSI)
Realities and demands of health and care workers, civil society action at national and international level, and challenges and opportunities to put existing and new legal international instruments into practice
- Panel 2 with Soosmita Sinha (HLI), Maren Hopfe (ILO) and Catherine Kane (WHO)
Assessments of opportunities and limitations provided with the negotiation of a new WHO international legal instrument (“pandemic treaty”) for ensuring the better protection and promotion of the rights of Health and Care Workers compared with guidance and regulation already provided by WHO, ILO and HRC - Discussion
After these two rounds of short presentations and discussion in the panels, the dialogue will be opened to the broader audience for at least 30 minutes, with all participants equally invited to actively contribute based on their lived experience and expertise.
Session moderated by Thomas Schwarz (MMI).
Learning objectives
Participants will be able to
- Understand demands of health and care workers regarding the better protection of their rights, in different national and political settings
- Assess opportunities and limitations provided with the negotiation of a new WHO international legal instrument for ensuring the better protection and promotion of the rights of Health and Care Workers
- Describe challenges and opportunities to put existing and new legal international instruments into practice at the regional and national level
- Understand civil society actions undertaken in this policy field at national and international level
Main messages
If health and care workers are mainly seen as the “human resource” within a health system, the need to protect them, provide them with decent working conditions and better enable them to defend their rights is too often neglected. But what shall/can be demanded from member states in this regard beyond their general commitment to “invest in an adequate, skilled, trained, competent and committed workforce”? After the hard lessons learnt during the Covid-19 pandemic, this parallel session provides a spotlight on the field of international regulation where WHO can play an important role.
Session organizers
- Medicus Mundi International – Network Health for All
Contact: Thomas Schwarz (session co-ordinator)
schwarz@medicusmundi.org - Health Law Institute
Contact: Soosmita Sinha
sinha@healthlawinst.org - People’s Health Movement
Contact: Lauren Paremoer
lparemoer@gmail.com - Public Services International
Contact: Baba Aye
baba.aye@world-psi.org - World Medical Association
Contact: Julia Tainijoki
julia.seyer@wma.net - Health Workers for All Coalition
Contact: Thomas Schwarz
schwarz@medicusmundi.org
More about the session
- Session details with speakers’ bios: here
- Session documentation: Slides Introduction and moderation
- Session documentation: Slides Soosmita Sinha
- Session documentation: Slides Catherine Kane
More about the Forum
