At its 120th Session in January 2007, the World Health Organization's Executive Board decided to admit The International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations into official relations with the WHO. Dr Vijaykumar Pannikar, Medical Director, Team Leader, Global Leprosy Programme, has been appointed as the designated WHO Technical Officer for relations with ILEP.

BASIS FOR OFFICIAL RELATIONS

ILEP has gained the status of official relations on the strength of its:

• objects and activities which conform with the spirit, purposes and principles of the Constitution of the WHO
• longstanding provision of treatment and rehabilitation of persons affected by leprosy, which today focuses on 84 countries and is directed through governments' national leprosy control programmes
• promotion of national anti-leprosy activities, including national capacity building, with an emphasis on priority countries such as India, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique and Myanmar
• existing collaboration with the WHO Global Leprosy Programme and the WHO Regional Offices
• mutual sharing of information and expertise, particularly between the ILEP Technical Commission and the WHO's Technical Advisory Group (for example to produce a book on community-based rehabilitation)
• reciprocal participation between representatives of the WHO and ILEP in key strategic and technical meetings
• assistance with the drafting and dissemination of the WHO Global Strategy for Further Reducing the Leprosy Burden and Sustaining Leprosy Control Activities: 2006-2010 and its Operational Guidelines. Equally, assistance with the implementation of the Global Leprosy Strategy in line with good practice
• support and promotion of around 50 scientific projects a year in collaboration with WHO, NGOs, governments, research institutions and scientific journals
• policy of transparency and accessibility of information, today through ILEP's website of information about leprosy, which includes teaching and learning materials that may be downloaded
• on-going collaboration with other partners involved in anti-leprosy work, such as the International Leprosy Association, notably for the International Leprosy Congresses, and with the IDEA leprosy patients' association, especially to tackle human rights issues such as the stigma and discrimination faced by persons affected by leprosy

RIGHTS ACQUIRED THROUGH OFFICIAL RELATIONS

ILEP will have the right to:

• appoint a representative to participate, without right of vote, in the WHO's meetings/committees/conferences related to leprosy. This representative may be able to make a statement
• access non-confidential information and documentation approved by the Director-General of the WHO
• submit a memorandum to the WHO Director-General, who decides on its circulation

ILEP/WHO JOINTLY AGREED THREE-YEAR PROGRAMME OF COLLABORATION 2006-2008

• I. WHO will advocate to countries the role of ILEP and its Members in support of national leprosy control programmes.
• II. ILEP will advocate to countries the role of WHO in support of national leprosy control programmes.
• III. ILEP and WHO will work to promote and implement the Global Strategy for Further Reducing the Leprosy Burden and Sustaining Leprosy Control Activities 2006-2010 (WHO/CDS/CPE/CEE/2005.53) and support the use of its accompanying Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the Global Strategy in all national programmes.
• IV. ILEP and WHO will continue to work to further reduce the burden of leprosy by promoting, at country level, co-ordinated collaborative national leprosy control activities, including national capacity building.
• V. ILEP and WHO will jointly promote prevention of disabilities and rehabilitation for persons and families affected by leprosy.
• VI. ILEP and WHO will continuously strive to improve the quality of patient care and promote the fight against the stigma and discrimination faced by persons and families affected by leprosy.
• VII. ILEP and WHO will promote research initiatives to find better tools for further reducing the leprosy burden, including operational research.
• VIII. ILEP and WHO will advocate the need to sustain leprosy activities in all endemic countries.
• IX. ILEP and WHO will collaborate in the collection of data and production of global statistics.
• X. ILEP and WHO will share, promote and distribute information and teaching and learning materials on leprosy.
• XI. ILEP and WHO will promote participation in each others' meetings as required and identify areas for further collaboration through joint activities.

 

 

Category: International Collaboration