The Regional Committee Meeting (RCM) is the key decision making body for the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Western Pacific Region. It brings together health ministers and senior officials from 37 countries and areas to set priorities and agree
actions that will bring better health to nearly 1.9 billion people. This year, it will be held in Brisbane, Australia, 9–13 October
WHO’s Western Pacific Region is very geographically and economically diverse. It stretches from Mongolia and China in the north and west, to Australia and New Zealand in the south, and French Polynesia and the Pitcairn Islands in the east.
The meeting will be attended by:
- WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
- WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, Dr Shin Young-soo
- Australian Minister for Health and Minister for Sport, the Hon. Greg Hunt
- More than 300 delegates from the 37 member countries and areas
Issues to be addressed at RCM68 include:
- Eliminating major communicable diseases in the Region, including measles and rubella, as well as mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis;
- Protecting children from the harmful impact of food marketing;
- Food safety;
- Sustainable financing for priority public health services, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries;
- Health promotion in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda; and
- Strengthening regulation of medicines and the health workforce, and convergence between countries’ regulatory systems.
Media are invited to the press conference at noon on Monday 9 October.
Media are also invited to observe the meeting, 9–13 October, at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC, corner Merivale & Glenelg St, South Bank, Brisbane, QLD, Australia).
RCM68 will also be livestreamed on the WHO web site: www.wpro.who.int
Updates on the meeting will be posted on social media with the hashtag #RCM68