International health care. World Health Organization (WHO): charter, goals, norms, recommendations. There are three types of health: physical (somatic), psychological and social.

Date of foundation: 1948
Number of participating countries: 194
Headquarters location: Geneva, Switzerland
Director: Dr. Margaret Chan

Functions of WHO:

WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health issues, setting the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, developing evidence-based policies, providing technical support to countries, and monitoring and evaluating health conditions. dynamics of its change.

The Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) is one of six WHO regional offices located in different parts of the world. WHO/Europe serves the WHO European Region, which includes 53 countries and covers a vast area from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. WHO/Europe is a team of scientific and technical experts in various aspects of public health, based at its head office in Copenhagen (Denmark), 4 branch centers, as well as country offices located in 29 countries.

WHO Representative Office in the Russian Federation

Date of foundation: December 1998
Representative: Dr. Melita Vujnovic

The role of the WHO country office is to respond to country requests for support in policy-making for sustainable health development, using a holistic health system approach. This includes providing overall leadership, building local relationships for technical cooperation, setting standards and negotiating agreements, and ensuring implementation and coordination of public health responses to crises.

The WHO Country Office in the Russian Federation was established in December 1998 in Moscow to carry out, in consultation with Russian authorities, the following tasks:

• Strengthening WHO's presence in the Russian Federation;
• Coordination of assistance to the health sector based on WHO's technical capacity;
• Assisting Russian health authorities in efforts to combat tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, and providing support in addressing structural problems associated with essential medicines;
• Representing WHO at high-level meetings;
• Advising UN agencies and other organizations, donor governments and financial institutions on the provision of humanitarian assistance and other health assistance;
• Facilitate the drawing up of plans for collaboration between WHO and the Russian Federation;

The priorities for a country office are set out in a two-year collaboration agreement (CAA) between the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the country in which the office operates. The office implements the agreement in close cooperation with national institutions and international partner organizations.

WHO's main priorities in the Russian Federation according to the LTA

• Implementation of the strategic vision of the Health 2020 policy in the Russian Federation;
• Investing in health at all stages of human life and empowering citizens;
• Solving the most pressing problems of the Region regarding non-communicable and infectious diseases;
• Strengthening people-centred health systems, public health capacity, and emergency preparedness, surveillance and response; And
• Ensuring the resilience of local communities and creating a supportive environment

The following WHO programs are currently being implemented in the Russian Federation:

• Tuberculosis Control Program;
• HIV/AIDS Program;
• Road Safety Program;
• Tobacco control program.

Contact Information

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

In February 1946, the UN conference decided on the need to create a specialized UN agency for health issues. In June 1946, in New York, by decision of the Economic and Social Council of the UN, an international conference on health was convened, which was attended by delegates from 51 countries, representatives of the International Bureau of Public Hygiene, the International Red Cross, the International Labor Office, etc. which developed and adopted the Charter of a new international organization - the World Health Organization (WHO). By its nature, WHO was called upon to unite all the peoples of the world within the framework of its activities. The main goal of its activities is the achievement by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. The WHO Constitution came into force on April 7, 1948. This day is celebrated annually as World Health Day.

The WHO charter for the first time at the international level proclaimed the right of every person to health, approved the principle of government responsibility for the health of their people, and also indicated the inextricable link between health and international security and the strengthening of science.

The World Health Organization is one of the most comprehensive UN specialized agencies. Currently, 164 states are members of WHO.

WHO structure.

The highest body of WHO is the World Health Assembly, which consists of delegates representing WHO member states. No more than 3 delegates are allocated from each country, one of whom is the head of the delegation. Delegates are usually employees of their country's health department. They must have high qualifications and special knowledge in the field of health care. Delegates are usually accompanied by advisors, experts and technical staff.

Regular sessions of the Assembly are convened annually. The Assembly determines the directions of WHO's activities, considers and approves long-term and annual work plans, the budget, issues of admitting new members and depriving the right to vote, appoints the Director General of WHO, considers issues of cooperation with other organizations, establishes sanitary and quarantine requirements, rules and standards regarding safety , purity and strength of biological and pharmaceutical products traded internationally. In addition, the WHO Assembly considers the recommendations of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the UN Security Council on health matters and reports to them on the actions taken by WHO to implement these recommendations.

Between sessions of the Assembly, the highest body of WHO is the Executive Committee, which meets for regular sessions twice a year. The Executive Committee consists of 30 members - representatives of states, elected for 3 years. Every year its composition is renewed by 1/3. Representatives of Russia, the USA, Great Britain, France and China are constantly re-elected, but with a one-year break every 3 years.

The Executive Committee considers the program and budget of the organization, administrative and legal issues related to the activities of WHO, hears reports from expert committees and research groups, implements the decisions of the Assembly and prepares recommendations. The WHO Executive Committee is given the right to take emergency measures in the event of epidemics, natural disasters, etc.

The central administrative body of WHO is the Secretariat, headed by the Director General, who is elected by the Assembly for a period of 5 years on the proposal of the Executive Committee. The headquarters of the secretariat is located in Geneva. The Director General carries out all the instructions of the Assembly and the Executive Committee, annually submits reports to the Assembly on the work of the organization, and manages the daily activities of the secretariat.

Most of the departments of the WHO Secretariat are united into 5 groups:

1) department of environmental hygiene and department of sanitary statistics;

2) Department of Strengthening Health Services and Family Health;

3) department of non-communicable diseases, health workforce development and medicines;

4) administrative management and personnel department;

5) budget and finance department.

To take into account local conditions and provide assistance to countries, taking into account their specific, country-specific health needs, 6 regional organizations have been created within WHO. Each such organization has a regional committee, which consists of representatives of the WHO Member States within the given geographical area. The executive bodies of these organizations are regional bureaus.

Currently, the following regional organizations exist:

1) European organization, office located in Copenhagen (Denmark);

2) African organization, office located in Brazzaville (Congo);

3) Eastern Mediterranean Organization, office located in Alexandria (Egypt);

4) Organization of Southeast Asia, office located in Delhi (India);

5) Western Pacific Organization, office located in Manila (Philippines);

6) American organization, bureau located in Washington (USA).

WHO's tasks.

According to its Constitution, WHO functions as the directing and coordinating body for international health work. WHO develops and improves international standards, nomenclature and classifications, promotes their dissemination, verifies and conducts medical research, and provides technical assistance to governments in strengthening national health care. Promotes the adoption and implementation of international health care conventions, agreements and regulations.

Directions of WHO activities.

WHO develops work programs that determine the main directions of its activities, the activities of regional offices, and the health policy of WHO member states. The work program defines the framework of the new global health policy, which is implemented in the following sections:

1. Control of epidemic and infectious diseases, including information, introduction of quarantine and implementation of preventive measures.

2. Fulfillment of international tasks, in particular, the tasks defined by the Health for All programs, CINDI (program to combat increased risk factors for the development of coronary heart disease).

3. Ensuring compliance with international quality standards for medicinal substances, vitamin and mineral additives to food, and standards for safe consumption.

4. Regular exchange of medical information, including the results of medical research, decisions of expert commissions, the creation of libraries, the publication of books and the training of specialists.

5. Standardization of terminology used in statistics, biology and pharmaceuticals.

6. Scientific research and information exchange.

7. Assist developing countries in monitoring morbidity and mortality, planning health policies and training specialists.

8. Special joint international health programs: expanded program of immunization, combating tuberculosis, malaria, AIDS, increased risk factors for coronary heart disease (CINDI) and deficiency conditions associated with insufficient intake of microelements.

9. Programs to control the spread of drugs and combat drug addiction.

10. Programs of measures to protect the environment, reduce air and water pollution, which has a negative impact on the environmental situation in neighboring countries and reduces the usable water resources of individual countries.

11. Health protection and promotion as a component of economic development.

12. Protection and promotion of maternal and child health, including family planning policy, reduction of maternal and infant mortality.

13. Assessment of medical technologies.

14. Selecting and managing effective and cost-effective health care programs.

15. Adequate participation of Member States in financing the activities of the Health for All program.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is one of the largest specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). The day of the official establishment of WHO is considered to be April 7, 1948, the day of ratification of the Organization’s Charter by 26 UN member states. As the main goal of the Organization, the WHO Charter proclaimed service to the humane idea - “the achievement by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.”

The emergence of cooperation between different countries in the field of healthcare is due to the need for international coordination of measures for sanitary protection of the territories of states in connection with periodically occurring epidemics and pandemics. This manifested itself most clearly during the classical Middle Ages, when specific measures against epidemics in Europe began to be applied (quarantines, infirmaries, outposts, etc.). The low effectiveness of sanitary and anti-epidemic measures carried out at the national level forced us to look for a solution to the problem on an interstate basis.

For these purposes, international sanitary councils began to be created: in Tangier (1792-1914), Constantinople (1839-1914), Tehran (1867-1914), Alexandria (1843-1938).

In 1851, the first International Sanitary Conference was held in Paris, at which doctors and diplomats from 12 states (Austria, England, the Vatican, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, Turkey, France) developed and adopted the International Sanitary Convention and International Quarantine Regulations. They established maximum and minimum quarantine periods for smallpox, plague and cholera, specified port sanitary rules and the functions of quarantine stations, and determined the importance of epidemiological information in international cooperation to prevent the spread of infections. Subsequently, such conferences became an important and fruitful form of international cooperation between European countries.

The first Pan American Sanitary Conference took place in December 1902 in Washington. The conference created a permanent body - the International (Pan American) Sanitary Bureau, which since 1958 has been known as the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO).

Another important step towards the development of international health care was the creation in 1907 in Paris of the International Bureau of Public Hygiene (IOPH) - a permanent international organization whose tasks included: “collecting and bringing to the attention of participating countries facts and documents of a general nature related to public health, especially infectious diseases such as cholera, plague and yellow fever, and the collection and dissemination of information on measures to combat these diseases.” MBOG was also involved in the development of international conventions and agreements in the field of health, monitoring their implementation, issues of ship hygiene, water supply, food hygiene, resolving international quarantine disputes and studying national sanitary and quarantine legislation. Russia participated in the establishment of the MBOG and had its permanent representative in it. So, in 1926, A. N. Sysin was appointed permanent representative of our country to the MBOG.

MBOG published a weekly newsletter in French, which published information about the spread of smallpox, cholera, yellow fever and other common diseases in the world. With the direct participation of MBOG, the first international standard was created in 1922 - the diphtheria toxoid standard, and in 1930, an international department was organized at the State Serum Institute in Copenhagen, responsible for maintaining the corresponding international standard for anti-diphtheria serum. The MBOG existed until the end of 1950. The experience of its work and information and publishing activities was subsequently used in the creation of the Health Organization of the League of Nations and WHO.

The Health Organization of the League of Nations (HLN) was created after the First World War in 1923 due to the sharp deterioration of the epidemic situation in Europe and the widespread spread of pandemics and epidemics of typhus, cholera, smallpox and other infectious diseases. The scope of its activities was much wider than the range of issues dealt with by the MBOG. The goal of the League of Nations Health Organization was “to take all measures of international scope for the prevention and control of disease.”

The main directions of the work of the Public Health Organization were: coordination and stimulation of scientific research on the most pressing problems of public health, the creation of international standards for biological and medicinal products, the development of an international classification of diseases and causes of death, the unification of national pharmacopoeias, the fight against the most dangerous and widespread diseases, as well as the creation and development of organizational foundations for an extensive system of global epidemiological information.

Attaching great importance to scientific research, OZLN has established a number of expert committees and commissions in the most important areas of its activities (on biological standardization, on sanitary statistics, on malaria, cancer, leprosy, plague, on the unification of national pharmacopoeias, on the control of opium and other drugs, on nutrition, etc.), in which the most prominent scientists of various nationalities worked. Teams of experts and scientific missions were sent to various countries in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia to assist local health authorities in organizing quarantine services, training medical personnel and organizing campaigns against cholera and smallpox.

The League of Nations Health Organization published a Weekly Bulletin and a Yearbook of Epidemic Diseases, which published statistics on births, deaths, and epidemic diseases of the world's population. By the end of the 1930s, the epidemiological information system of the OZLN (and its regional organizations in Washington, Alexandria and Sydney, including MBOG) covered about 90% of the world's population.

In 1946, the League of Nations, and with it its Health Organization, ceased to exist.

After the Second World War, the leading organization of the international community became the United Nations (UN), established in 1945 on the initiative of the victorious countries. In February 1946, the UN conference decided on the need to create a specialized UN agency for health issues. After appropriate preparatory work, the International Health Conference was convened in June 1946 in New York, which developed and adopted the Charter of a new international health organization - the World Health Organization - WHO (World Health Organization - WHO, Fig. 158).

The WHO Charter proclaimed the basic principles of cooperation between member states of the Organization, necessary “for happiness, harmonious relations between all peoples and for their security.” An important place among them is the definition of health:

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is a fundamental right of every person, without distinction as to race, religion, political opinion, economic or social status.

The health of all peoples is a fundamental factor in the achievement of peace and security and depends on the fullest cooperation of individuals and nations.

Governments are responsible for the health of their people, and this responsibility requires the adoption of appropriate social and health measures.”

By April 7, 1948, 26 UN member states sent their notifications of their acceptance of the WHO constitution and its ratification. This day - April 7 - is considered the date of final registration by the World Health Organization and is celebrated annually by WHO as Health Day.

The First World Health Assembly, the highest body of the World Health Organization, met at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on 24 June 1948. By the end of its work, the number of WHO Member States had reached 55. Dr Brock Chisholm, Brock, Canada). Geneva became the headquarters of WHO.

According to the Charter, WHO has a decentralized regional structure and unites six regions: African (headquarters in Brazzaville), American (Washington), Eastern Mediterranean (Alexandria), European (Copenhagen), Western Pacific (Manila), Southeast Asia (New Delhi).

Today, 140 states are members of WHO. WHO's annual budget exceeds $100 million. Every year, WHO carries out more than 1,500 different projects in the field of health. They are aimed at solving current problems: the development of national health services, the fight against infectious and non-infectious diseases, the training and improvement of medical personnel, environmental health, maternal and child health, the development of sanitary statistics, pharmacology and toxicology, international drug control, etc.

Social and political issues also occupy an important place in the work of the WHO, such as the protection of humanity from the dangers of atomic radiation, the role of the doctor in strengthening peace, general and complete disarmament, the prohibition of chemical and bacteriological weapons as soon as possible, etc.

The Soviet Union was among the founding states of WHO and actively participated in the creation and implementation of the vast majority of WHO programs, sending specialists as experts, consultants and staff at WHO headquarters and its regional offices. The Soviet Union was the initiator of many important WHO initiatives. Thus, in 1958, at the proposal of the Soviet delegation, the XI World Health Assembly adopted a program to eradicate smallpox from the globe (it was successfully completed in 1980).

WHO scientific and reference centers and laboratories operate on the basis of research institutions of our country, and international scientific programs and projects are being developed. Thus, the cooperation of the Institute of Virology named after. D.I. Ivanovsky RAMS with WHO in the field of epidemiological information allows you to receive weekly advanced information about the epidemic situation and circulating strains of influenza virus in the world and quickly identify strains of influenza viruses as they are identified in other countries.

Our country regularly hosts seminars, symposiums, and international conferences organized through WHO. In 1963, permanent WHO courses on organization, management and planning of health care were created on the basis of the Central Institute for Advanced Medical Training. An important milestone in the history of WHO was the International Conference of WHO and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund - UNICEF on primary health care, held in Almaty in 1978. Its outcome documents had a significant impact on the development of health care in most countries of the world.

At the initiative of the USSR, resolutions were adopted: on the tasks of WHO in connection with the UN resolution on general and complete disarmament (1960) and the UN Declaration on Granting Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (1961), on the protection of humanity from the danger of atomic radiation (1961), on the prohibition in the shortest possible time of bacteriological and chemical weapons (1970), about the role of WHO, doctors and other health workers in preserving and strengthening peace (1979, 1981, 1983), etc.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is an international organization dedicated to solving health problems for the population of our planet.

The organization was founded in 1948, today WHO unites 194 states. The headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

The organization has its own web resource - the WHO official website, the information on which is posted in 6 languages, including Russian. A list of all available languages ​​is presented in the upper right corner of the page.

WHO official website - Home page

The main page of the WHO official website contains the most relevant information to date. It also provides links to fact sheets, WHO's work around the world, key WHO documents and guidelines.

To search for materials you are interested in on the WHO official website, you can use the existing search bar (located in the upper right part of the page).

WHO official website - Search bar

However, special attention should be paid to the main menu of the WHO official website, which contains information related to health issues, statistics, news, publications, as well as programs and projects, information about governing bodies, and information about the organization itself.

Thus, the first tab of the main menu is dedicated to health issues. When you open it, you will see a number of links related to specific health issues. When you select the desired topic, you will be offered links to various projects, materials about work in this direction, initiatives, information products, etc.

WHO official website - Health Issues Tab

The next tab presents the data bank of the Global Health Observatory, as well as statistical reports from WHO.

WHO official website - Data and Statistics tab

In the “Programs and Projects” tab of the WHO official website, you can familiarize yourself with the programs, partnerships, and projects of the organization, presented in alphabetical order, which greatly facilitates the search for the necessary information.

WHO official website - “Programs and projects” tab

To obtain basic information, information about the activities of the organization, funding and other information, you should refer to the last tab of the main menu of the WHO official website.

WHO official website - Tab “Information about WHO”

The WHO official website also provides links to the pages of this organization on various social networks. This makes WHO information even more accessible to a wider audience.

WHO official website - Tabs

WHO official website - who.int

JANUARY 2017

Topic of the issue – Health statistics 1

Statistical reports from the World Health Organization

The Global Health Observatory (GHO) produces analytical reports on current situations and trends in priority health issues. The WHO Global Health Observatory provides updated health statistics throughout the year. Its online database contains detailed information on more than 1,000 health indicators. It can be used to obtain up-to-date health statistics at the global, regional and country levels.

Global Health Observatory website:

The main document of the State Defense Order is the annual report “World Health Statistics”, published since 2005. The report is an authoritative source of information on global health.

It contains data from 194 countries on a range of mortality, morbidity and health system indicators, including life expectancy; morbidity and mortality from major diseases; health services and treatments; financial investments in health care; and risk factors and behaviors that affect health.

According to the 2016 World Health Statistics report, every year 2:

• 303,000 women die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth;
• 5.9 million children die before the age of five;
• There are 2 million new HIV infections, 9.6 million new tuberculosis cases and 214 million malaria cases;
• 1.7 billion people suffering from neglected tropical diseases need treatment;
• More than 10 million people die before the age of 70 from cardiovascular diseases and cancer;
• 800,000 people commit suicide;
• 1.25 million people die as a result of road traffic accidents;
• 4.3 million people die from air pollution caused by cooking fuels;
• 3 million people die as a result of environmental pollution;
• 475,000 people die violent deaths, of which 80% are men.

To solve these problems, it is necessary to combat risk factors that contribute to the development of diseases. Today around the world:

• 1.1 billion people smoke tobacco;
• 156 million children under five years of age are stunted and 42 million children under five years of age are overweight;
• 1.8 billion people drink contaminated water, and 946 million people perform their daily necessities in the open air;
• 3.1 billion people rely primarily on polluting fuels for cooking.

According to the Report, life expectancy has risen sharply around the world since 2000, but serious inequalities in health persist both between and within countries.

Between 2000 and 2015, life expectancy increased by five years, the fastest rate of growth since the 1960s. These advances represent a significant turnaround from the decline that occurred in the 1990s, when life expectancy rates fell in Africa as a result of the AIDS epidemic and in Eastern Europe following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The largest increase in life expectancy occurred in the WHO African Region, where it increased by 9.4 years to 60 years, driven primarily by rising child survival rates, progress in malaria control, and increased access to antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection.

“The world has made great strides in reducing unnecessary suffering and premature death caused by preventable and treatable diseases,” says Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. “However, the successes achieved are unevenly distributed. The best thing we can do to ensure that no one is left behind is to support countries to move towards achieving universal health coverage through effective primary health care.”

The average life expectancy for children born in 2015 worldwide was 71.4 years (73.8 years for girls and 69.1 years for boys), but the prognosis for each individual child depends on where he or she was born . The report shows that the average life expectancy of newborns in 29 high-income countries is 80 years or more, while the life expectancy of newborns in 22 countries in sub-Saharan Africa is below 60 years.

Women can expect to live the longest lives in Japan, where the average life expectancy for women is 86.8 years. The highest average life expectancy for men - 81.3 years - is observed in Switzerland. The world's lowest life expectancy rates for both sexes are recorded in Sierra Leone - 50.8 years for women and 49.3 years for men.

Healthy life expectancy, the number of years lived in good health, for a child born in 2015 worldwide averages 63.1 years (64.6 years for girls and 61.5 years for boys ).

This year's World Health Statistics report provides the latest evidence on the health targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015. The report identifies significant data gaps that need to be filled if progress towards achieving the health-related SDGs can be reliably monitored.

For example, approximately 53% of deaths worldwide are unreported, although some countries - including Brazil, China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, South Africa and Turkey - have made significant progress in this area.

While the Millennium Development Goals focused on achieving a narrow range of disease-specific health targets by 2015, the SDGs cover the period up to 2030 and are much broader in scope. For example, the SDGs include the broad health goal of achieving healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages, which calls for achieving universal health coverage.

Full text of the report in English on the World Health Organization website:

Publications of the World Health Organization

• European health report 2015 Targets and a broader perspective – new frontiers in evidence management. - WHO Regional Office for Europe. Copenhagen. 2015 – 157 pp.

Published every three years, the European Health Report provides readers, including policymakers, policymakers, public health professionals and journalists, with an objective picture of public health and health outcomes in the WHO European Region and the progress being made towards improving health and well-being. all people. The report shows the trends in the development of the European Health 2020 policy, progress towards achieving its goals and, at the same time, certain gaps, inequalities and shortcomings that require additional action.

The 2015 report shows continued improvement in health outcomes in the Region and a reduction in some health inequalities between countries, particularly in life expectancy and infant mortality. However, for these indicators, the gap between the countries with the best and worst values ​​is still 11 years of life and 20 healthy babies per 1000 live births, respectively. Absolute differences between countries remain unacceptably large, especially for indicators related to the social determinants of health. The report also clearly shows that the European Region continues to have the highest levels of alcohol consumption and smoking in the world.

• Kai Michelsen, Helmut Brand, Peter Achterberg, John Wilkinson. Health information systems integration efforts: best practices and challenges. - WHO Regional Office for Europe. Copenhagen. 2016 – 33 pages.

This report examines trends in the way health information systems are being integrated across European Union and European Free Trade Association member states. It presents the results of a survey conducted among experts from 13 EU countries, as well as a literature review, which provide a better understanding of what is meant by integration from a pragmatic perspective.

The summary report identifies the following policy options based on need for further study:

• continue work on the “core elements” (availability of quality data, data inventories and registries, standardization, legislation, physical infrastructure and human resources) and more “conceptual” sets of indicators;
• define what is meant by “improved integration” and demonstrate the specific benefits of integration;
• build a leadership structure for capacity development to further integrate health information systems;
• promote further exchange of information on work in this area.

Full text of the publication in Russian on the website of the WHO Regional Office for Europe:

• A toolkit for assessing information systems and developing and strengthening health information strategies. - WHO Regional Office for Europe. Copenhagen. 2015 – 104 pp.

Quality health information helps the public health policy-making process. During its meeting in December 2013, the Standing Committee of the Regional Committee invited the WHO Regional Office to develop a practical tool to support Member States in establishing and improving their national health information systems through the development of national health information strategies. This will help countries as they implement the European Health 2020 policy. The availability of quality information, supported by reliable information systems, can help Member States identify directions for action to address Health 2020 priorities and evaluate the effectiveness of specific policies and interventions.

This toolkit is based on existing methodological tools developed by WHO's Health Metrics Network. This guide covers all stages of the health information strategy development process, from analysis of the current state of information systems and the actual development of the strategy to its implementation and evaluation. Moreover, it addresses all the different elements of health information systems, such as governance, databases and resources. This will allow flexibility in the use of the tool: Member States can either use it in its entirety or select specific steps or elements that require special attention or are of priority in their country's context. This toolkit is designed to be adaptable to different health information system development and policy situations in countries in the WHO European Region.

Full text of the publication in Russian on the website of the WHO Regional Office for Europe:

• Global Reference List of 100 Core Health Indicators, 2015 (Global List of 100 Core Health Indicators, 2015). - World Health Organization. Geneva. 2015 – 134 pages.

The Global Core 100 Health Indicators is a standard set of 100 indicators that can be used to provide reliable information to assess health situations and trends at both global and national levels. It is periodically updated and supplemented. This publication provides a list of main indicators as of 2015.

• Global Reference List of 100 Core Health Indicators, 2015: Metadata

Full text in English on the World Health Organization website:

• Framework model and standards for national health information systems. Second edition. – World Health Organization. Geneva. 2014 – 63 pages.

The Health Metrics Network (HMN) was created in 2005 to help countries and other partners improve global health by strengthening systems that provide health information for evidence-based decision-making. The HSHP is the first global health partnership to address two core conditions for strengthening health systems in low- and middle-income countries. The first is the need to strengthen all health information and statistical systems as a whole, rather than focusing only on specific diseases. Secondly, there is a focus on strengthening country leadership in the production and use of health information. It has become clear that to meet these needs and advance global health, there is an urgent need for coordination and alignment of partners within a coherent plan for the development of national health information systems.

The HCI Framework is not intended to replace existing guidelines that provide detailed information on the elements of health information systems. On the contrary, they will aim to find relevant existing standards and promote their application. It is expected that this proactive approach will evolve over time, incorporating new developments, country experiences and partner input. This publication contains extensive information on various aspects of health information systems, obtained through consultation meetings and country visits. It is expected that its edition will be regularly updated as the Health Information System develops and health information systems improve. It is expected that the HCI Framework will help strengthen consensus on the vision, standards and processes that a health information system should support.

Full text in Russian on the World Health Organization website:

• Levels & Trends in Child Mortality. Report 2015 (Levels and trends in child mortality. Report 2015). - UNICEF / WHO / World Bank / UN. 2015 – 36 pages.

This report presents the latest estimates of infant and child mortality for 2015 at the national, regional and global levels. It also provides an overview of methods for estimating child mortality.

Full text in English on the World Health Organization website:

• Global Health Estimates: Proposals on the way forward. Summary of a Technical Meeting WHO, Geneva, 13-14 February 2013. - World Health Organization. Geneva. 2013 – 4 pages.

Global, regional and national population health statistics and indicators are essential for assessing the development and progress of global health and its resource base. There is growing demand for timely data, such as age-specific mortality rates, cause-specific mortality, the prevalence of various diseases and risk factors, and comparative estimates of mortality and disability from different diseases. But demand is particularly strong for comprehensive assessments across the spectrum, including noncommunicable diseases and injuries. Because major challenges and questions remain in the collection of mortality and health statistics, adjustments to baseline data and overall indicators are needed to achieve comprehensive and comparable estimates. Time series estimates for childhood and adult mortality and causes of death, including mortality from HIV infection, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal mortality and the predominant causes of child mortality, are published by UN agencies. More than 60 experts from around the world and staff from UN agencies gathered at a WHO meeting to assess the current state of health statistics for:

Taking stock of current and new approaches related to global health assessment;

Discuss and agree on ways to improve current assessment practices, including data availability, strengthening country capacity, selection of models, sharing of data, methods and assessment development tools.

Full text in English on the World Health Organization website:

• The utility of estimates for health monitoring and decision-making: global, regional and country perspectives. Report of a technical meeting (WHO, Glion sur Montreux, Switzerland 24–25 June 2015) -June 25, 2015) - World Health Organization. Geneva. 2015 - 27 pages.

In June 2015, the WHO Department of Health Statistics and Information Systems invited health statisticians from different countries and institutions to a two-day meeting to learn from experience and build consensus to develop global estimates using statistical indicators. The following issues were discussed at the meeting:

Explore the use of health assessments for developing and planning health policies in countries;

Provide advice to WHO on improving the handling of statistics for global health assessments so that they meet the needs of countries;

Identifying ways to improve the ability to use national statistics to formulate our own estimates using standardized methods and tools.

Full text in English on the World Health Organization website:

• ICD-11 Revision Conference. Report. Tokyo, Japan 12-14 October, 2016 (Report of the Conference on the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases. Tokyo, Japan, 12-14 October 2016). - World Health Organization. Geneva. 2016 - 12 pages

In October 2016, WHO and Member States reached an important milestone towards the completion of ICD-11. The Conference on the 11th Revision of the ICD was held in Tokyo, Japan, October 12-14, 2016. The Conference reviewed the recommendations of the Joint Task Force, which is the coordinating group for the development of ICD-11, version on morbidity and mortality statistics. The Joint Task Force provides strategic and technical advice to WHO to complete the development of ICD-11. The focus is on recommendations for ICD-11 subclasses that will be included as morbidity and mortality statistics codes for use in international reporting. In addition, the Joint Task Force reviewed recommendations for how to properly structure these codes for tabulation and aggregation. The Joint Task Force also provided recommendations for the development of a reference manual that included coding rules for morbidity and mortality. This report contains a brief description of the conference proceedings.