QNA/Geneva
Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva Faisal bin Abdullah al-Henzab, in his capacity as the head of the 2015 Social Forum, presented the report of the 2015 Social Forum to the Human Rights Council.
The report’s recommendations include access to medicines in the context of the right of everyone to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
Al-Henzab said that the Social Forum had taken place from 18 to 20 February 2015 and had considered access to medicines in the context of the right of everyone to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including best practices in this regard.
He pointed out that the Forum was held as Qatar had hosted the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) last February. The event brought more than 1,000 world leaders, policy makers and healthcare experts to Doha to discuss new and ground-breaking solutions to the most urgent global health challenges.
He lauded the unprecedented participation in the three-day Forum which was attended by almost 300 participants and addressed by 35 speakers who spoke in 6 panel sessions and roundtable discussions. “During this Forum, we have heard from governments, academics, activists, doctors, patients, representatives of international organisations and others, representing a broad audience with a common interest in life-saving and other medicines,” al-Henzab added.
Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva said panellists and participants highlighted a number of good practices, discussed the global public health situation and made recommendations for moving forward.
He pointed out that medicines have to be affordable, acceptable, accessible, of good quality, and made available without discrimination, whereas health systems must be strengthened and universal health coverage established.
