World Health Assembly Adopts SDG-Related Measures The 69th annual meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA), the governing body of the World Health Organization's (WHO), concluded with a number of resolutions and decisions linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including on air pollution, chemicals, the health workforce, childhood obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The WHA also agreed on a framework of engagement with non-state actors and rules for the election of the next WHO Director-General.

The 69th WHA took place from 23-28 May 2016, in Geneva, Switzerland. Governments agreed on steps to lay groundwork for pursuing health-related SDG targets. Such steps include: prioritizing universal health coverage; working with actors outside the health sector to address the social, economic and environmental causes of health problems, including antimicrobial resistance; expanding efforts to address poor maternal and child health and infectious diseases in developing countries; and giving greater emphasis on equity within and between countries, to "leave no one behind." The delegates also asked WHO to take steps to ensure it has the resources needed at all levels to achieve the SDGs, to work with countries to monitor their progress toward the Goals, and to take the SDGs into consideration in all WHO programmes of work Sri Lanka was represented by the Hon Minister of Health, Dr Rajitha Senaratne. Also Mr Dakshitha Wickremarathne, who was a former member of the Youth Advisory Committee of FPA Sri Lanka, (YTAC) was also present.