FIP and the World Health Organization: 2009-2010
Introduction by FIP CEO and General Secretary, Mr A.J.M Hoek
Pharmacists play a vital role in promoting health and shaping global health, providing a crucial link between the local/grass roots level and national and international policy level. As the global Federation representing the world's pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists, FIP is in the unique position to be able to advocate for greater responsibility and accountability of health professions, particularly pharmacists, to promote good health and well being of their citizens while also building community capacity to address the social determinants of health and common behavioural risk factors for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. Coordinated action and advocacy is necessary on both levels to decrease the health equity gap.
With the new FIP office established in Geneva, Switzerland, the Federation continually raises and fulfills expectations amongst our Members in our Mission to improve global health and in support of Vision 2020 - FIP's Vision, Mission and Strategic Plan.
With a focus on improving the safety, quality and rational use of medicines, FIP is most actively working with the WHO department on Essential Medicines and Pharmaceutical Policies (EMP) within the WHO cluster on Health Systems and Services (HSS). Over the years, the Federation has extended its collaboration and advocacy with other clusters and departments in WHO.
For a full and detailed report of the joint FIP-WHO activities over the 2009-2010 period please visit the online FIP 2009-2010 Annual Report by clicking here or download the PDF of the FIP-WHO report here.
All pharmacists have a common goal to protect the well-being of patients in all parts of the world from poor quality, substandard and counterfeit medical products. FIP and its Member Organisations are taking pro-active steps in collaboration with governments and WHO to ensure the quality, safety and efficacy of all medical products available in countries, in accordance with recognized international standards.
Our collective experience tells us that successful health interventions demands a complex interaction between the available public and private sector institutions financing, availability of functioning health care facilities, skilled health personnel such as Pharmacists, access to medical and educational resources, both modern and traditional, all factors working with individuals taking responsibility for their own health. There are of course challenges to achieve all of that.
The motivation for developing and establishing a new advocacy office comes from the desire to build upon several significant accomplishments of the past several years. The most significant of these is the increased awareness and reputation of both FIP and the role of the pharmacist and pharmaceutical sciences. This has resulted from the work FIP has done internally and through mutually beneficial partnerships with key global players, such as, the World Health Organisation (WHO). The complementary work of the FIP Regional Pharmaceutical Forums has facilitated a stronger relationship between FIP's Member Organisations and the WHO Offices in their respective countries and regions. This collaboration has also served to promote the role of pharmacists in the WHO healthcare agenda globally.
