Geneva, 20 May 2019 (PAHO/WHO) - Mexico will represent the Region of the Americas in the vice-presidency of the 72nd World Health Assembly, from 20 to 28 May in Geneva, Switzerland.
Mexico’s ambassador to United Nations in Geneva, Ms. Socorro Flores Liera, will be one of the five vice-presidents of the plenary, a position held by each region of the world represented in the World Health Organization (WHO). This year, the presidency of the Assembly is held by the Western Pacific region of WHO. The Minister of Health of Laos, Bounkong Syhavong, was elected president. Bhutan, Senegal, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan were named to the remaining four vice-presidencies.
Paraguay will serve as rapporteur for Committee A, and Guyana will act as vice-chair of Committee B. Since Mexico holds the vice-presidency of the World Assembly, the Bahamas, Cuba, Honduras, and the United States will represent the Americas on the Assembly’s General Committee. The Dominican Republic and Suriname will represent the Region on the Credentials Committee.
The World Health Assembly is the supreme decision-making body of the World Health Organization. The main functions of the Assembly, which meets each year and is attended by all 194 Member States of WHO, are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed Programme Budget.
