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The Democratising Global Health (DGH) coalition was created to promote the realisation of the right to health worldwide and to support the WHO reform process through a united voice of public interest groups, whenever possible.
Various public interest groups and individuals gathered in New Delhi from 2nd to 4th May 2011, from all parts of the world, to address the need for effective and accountable global governance for health. The purpose of this global consultation was to achieve a common vision for realising the human right of everyone “to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health “, and reignite a health for all movement with shared objectives and actions. Among other results, it prompted the creation of the DGH coalition and resulted in the Delhi statement.
Several members of HIP attended the Delhi meeting and contributed to the Delhi Statement and subsequent discussions and advocacy. HIP is now a full member of the coalition and follows with great interest and sustained commitment the progress of the WHO reform and the evolving challenges of the global governance for health.
Members of DGH represent a wide range of public interest groups that are committed to the realisation of the right to health worldwide, and highly value the constitutional mandate of WHO as the “directing and coordinating authority” for the realisation of this right.
• Since its inception, DGH is following the reform process as closely as feasible and is facilitating, to the extent possible, a dialogue among the public interest groups aimed at developing constructive and realistic proposals for consideration by the WHO Member States. It is in this spirit that DGH sent, starting 30th June 2011, letters to WHO Member States in view of their Regional Committees Meetings. They presented the DGH coalition’s comments on the three concept papers prepared by the WHO Secretariat and expressed concerns related to some of the proposals contained in these documents, as well as suggestions for moving forward.
DGH shared further comments with representatives of Member States prior to the Missions’ briefing organised in Geneva by WHO in September 2011 (letter 13th September 2011). It also organised information meetings and informal discussions with Geneva-based Permanent Missions to the United Nations (13th October 2011) and for Member States delegations to the Extraordinary Session of the Executive Board of WHO of November 2011 (31st October 2011). On this last occasion, DGH shared its comments on the report of the WHO Secretariat "WHO reforms for a health future".
• As a result of its commitment and recognised contributions to the WHO reform debate, DGH has been invited to enter into an informal dialogue with the WHO Secretariat on key issues of the reform. On the eve of the 130th session of the Executive Board, two meetings have already taken place between a delegation of the DGH coalition and members of the WHO Director General’s Office (DGO), on the 28th October 2011 and 6th December 2011.
• Several members of the coalition attended the Special Session of the Executive Board (EBSS) from 1st to 3rd November 2011. DGH has issued in December 2011 comments on the Decisions of the EBSS regarding the WHO reform.
• DGH continues watching carefully the reform process and fostering the dialogue with WHO governing bodies and secretariat. It has delivered a general statement on the reform to the 130th session of the WHO Executive Board, and several members of the coalition have in addition expressed their views on specific aspects of the reform and essential proposals made by the secretariat on the basis of the EBSS Decisions.
More details about the DGH coalition can be found on the website of Medicus Mundi International, which is an active member of DGH, and the repository of all DGH documents and activities.