Commission for Social Development

Thirty-ninth Session

3^rd Meeting (AM)

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR SOCIAL PROTECTION RESTS WITH GOVERNMENTS,

S0CIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION TOLD

CORRECTION

On page 8 of Press Release SOC/4599 issued 14 February, the statement of the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) should read, as follows:

JOHN MARTIN, of the Health Sustainable Development Division of the World Health Organization (WHO), stressed the need to integrate health-care systems, as opposed to health, as a strategic option in campaigns to provide social protection.  It was also necessary to rapidly expand strategies to fight killer infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, as well as to make health care more pro-poor.  At present, health care was anti-poor and its negative impact affected mainly women and children.

He said it was essential to address the health consequences of globalization, particularly those involving trade policies and practices that negatively affected the poor.  Good health was the key to human agency and productivity.  As such, it was a precious asset of poor and vulnerable people.  So, the core issue was to protect and improve health status, rather than relying solely on repairing it when it was damaged by disease or injury.  All sectors -– economic, environmental and social –- had roles to play, but in playing their roles they could also look forward to gains in human productivity.  In other words, health outcomes were important in themselves, as well as being the means to achieving broader development objectives.  So, there was a fundamental message to deliver.  Health could not be left to the health sector alone.  The Commission could be instrumental in pulling health into the debate on social protection and allowing it to play its full role.  The WHO was ready to support the dialogue, without which health care would be innovative and strategic in principle, but remain marginal and traditional in practice.

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