RCM75 practical information for partners_final
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PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS,
NON-STATE ACTORS IN OFFICIAL RELATIONS WITH THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION AND OTHER INVITED OBSERVERS AT THE SEVENTY-FIFTH SESSION
OF THE WHO REGIONAL COMMITTEE FOR THE WESTERN PACIFIC
21–25 October 2024
The World Health Organization (WHO) values its partnerships with intergovernmental
organizations (IGOs), non-State actors (NSAs) and other partners, and recognizes their importance
in achieving global health outcomes. In this regard, their participation in sessions of the Regional
Committee is encouraged.
Participation in such meetings is governed by the WHO Framework of Engagement with
Non-State Actors, adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2016.1
IGOs, NSAs and other
invited partners may participate at the Regional Committee without the right to vote.
Time and place of the session
The seventy-fifth session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific will
be held in Manila, Philippines, from 21 to 25 October 2024, with on-site participation only, at the
main Conference Hall of the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, located at the corner
of United Nations and Taft avenues, Ermita, Manila. Please note that virtual attendance cannot be
accommodated.
Registration
To register, an email should be sent to WPRpartnerships@who.int with the names of the
individuals who are attending as observers. The correspondence should include a signed response
to the invitation on the partner’s letterhead indicating the name of the head of the delegation, the
names of any other representatives, the function of each delegate and, where appropriate, the
affiliated entity. A letter template is attached for reference.
Official registration should then be completed via the online registration system at
https://rcm.wpro.who.int/register. Both email confirmation and the online registration must be
completed by 22 September 2024.
Registered representatives will appear in the official WHO records as participants. The
Office of the Regional Director will verify the information received in the registration system to
generate the List of Participants and the meeting badges.
Please be advised that seating within the Conference Hall at the WHO Regional Office is
limited. Seating will be provided on the balcony level of the Conference Hall, with a small number
of seats reserved on the ground floor for partners delivering a statement during a given agenda
1
Resolution WHA69.10 (2016).
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item. A dedicated overflow room near the Conference Hall will also be made available for other
representatives to follow proceedings via webcast.
Documentation
Documents for the Regional Committee session are posted on the WHO website as they
become available, at https://www.who.int/westernpacific/about/governance/regional-
committee/session-75. The documents are available in Chinese, English and French, and include
the Rules of Procedure, provisional agenda and timetable, and working documents for all agenda
items. Documentation such as resolutions, decisions and daily journals will also be made
accessible online during the session.
The General Information Booklet includes useful information for representatives and can
be found at https://rcm.wpro.who.int/rc75/gib.
Statements
IGOs, NSAs in official relations with WHO, and other invited partners that have registered
to participate in the Regional Committee session may request to make statements in person under
a technical item related to their activities. Constituency statements will be implemented during this
session of the Regional Committee in addition to individual statements.
The delivery of interventions will be at the discretion of the Chairperson and will depend
on the time available for respective agenda items. Constituency statements will be given
consideration before individual statements.
For the purpose of collaboratively developing constituency statements, the list of partners
invited to attend the Regional Committee may be used to identify and coordinate with partners.
Please be guided by the following instructions for preparing statements:
• Individual statements should not exceed three minutes speaking time; constituency statements
should not exceed five minutes speaking time. A countdown timer will be used to help speakers
observe time limits during the session.
• Written statements should not exceed 300 words for individual statements and 500 words for
constituency statements.
• Statements should focus on technical issues, should be directly relevant to the technical item
and should not contain promotional and/or commercial references. Accuracy of the technical
components should be considered. The titles of organizations and/or specific doctrines are
expected to be correct and there should be no spelling or grammatical errors.
• Statements should not raise issues of a purely political nature that are unrelated to the agenda
item, and they should never contain any inappropriate or potentially offensive references to
Member States.
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• The nomenclature used to refer to Member States, or areas of Member States, must follow that
of the United Nations. Titles of individuals, organizations and/or specific documents should
be correct.
• Partners may join more than one constituency statement, but those joining constituency
statements cannot make additional individual statements on any of the same agenda items.
• Speakers are invited to follow the proceedings and webcast to be informed of the precise
time when items will be discussed and apprised of any changes in schedule.
• While every attempt is made to keep NSAs informed of the status of their requests, it is the
responsibility of the NSA delegates to follow discussions and the procedures and any guidance
that may be updated.
Representatives of IGOs, NSAs and other invited partners who wish to deliver statements
in person are requested to submit them in writing, indicating the relevant agenda item, via email
to WPRpartnerships@who.int, no later than Monday, 7 October 2024 at 17:00 (Philippine
Standard Time).
In line with WHO’s commitment to transparency, all statements will be made publicly
available online. In this regard, your submission of written statements signifies your concurrence
that the file will be made available to the public. Please note that statements reflect solely the views
of IGOs or NSAs concerned. Posted statements do not necessarily reflect the views of WHO,
including its Member States and the Secretariat.
Information on events and exhibitions at the Regional Committee
Dinner hosted by the Regional Director
Invited partner organizations are cordially invited to send one representative to a dinner
hosted by the Regional Director on Monday, 21 October, 18:00−20:00 at the Manila Hotel.
Other events
During the week of the Regional Committee session several other events will also take
place at the meeting venue, the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific. All participants are
welcome to attend these events.
• Tuesday, 22 October, 12:00−12:45: Special Event on the Investment Round
• Tuesday, 22 October, 16:00−17:00: Side Event on Tobacco Control
• Wednesday, 23 October, 16:00−17:00: Side Event on One Health
WHO Exhibitions
Exhibitions on a number of themes will be held throughout the week:
• Health equity profiles
• Future-of-health museum
• Models of climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable health-care facilities
• Strengthening health emergency response capacities in the Western Pacific Region
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• Reaching the unreached: Map explorer in the Western Pacific Region
• Dangers of new and emerging tobacco and nicotine products.
Other ways to engage before, during and after the meeting
A communications pack is being developed by the Secretariat for use by Member States
and partners attending the Regional Committee session. The pack will include key messages,
audiovisual assets and links to relevant resources to support delegates’ social media engagement
around the main topics that will be discussed during the meeting. Please check the website
www.who.int/westernpacific/about/governance/regional-committee/session-75 for more
information in the weeks to come.
Participants will also be able to further engage through the WHO Events app, which is
available for download from the AppStore (Apple) or PlayStore (Android). Search for “WHO
Events” and install the free app. To access the event, open the WHO Events app on your device
and click the download icon for the “75th Session of the Regional Committee for the Western
Pacific”.
Partners’ briefing
An online briefing session for all invited partners will be held prior to the Regional
Committee. The briefing will provide an overview of the Regional Committee and technical
agenda items being discussed during the week. The date and connection details for the meeting
and access to relevant documents will be shared in due course.
NSA accreditation for endorsement at RCM75
According to the provisions outlined in paragraph 57 of the Framework of Engagement
with Non-State Actors (FENSA), regional committees may decide on a procedure granting
accreditation to their meetings to international, regional and national NSAs not in official relations
with WHO as long as the procedure is managed in accordance with FENSA.
In addition, Rule 2 of the Rules of Procedure of the Regional Committee for the Western
Pacific, as amended during the seventy-fourth session of the WHO Regional Committee for the
Western Pacific from 16 to 20 October 2023, states that “Other international, regional and national
nongovernmental organizations, international business associations and philanthropic foundations
not in official relations with the Organization but accredited to participate in meetings of the
Committee in accordance with paragraph 57 of the Framework of Engagement may also participate
without vote in the deliberations of the Regional Committee, as provided for in the Framework of
Engagement.”
Under decision WPR/RC74(1) on governance reform, the WHO Regional Committee for
the Western Pacific, during its seventy-fourth session, further decided that “pending the adoption
by the Regional Committee of an accreditation procedure in accordance with paragraph 57 of the
WHO Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors, only international, regional and national
non-State actors not in official relations with WHO that have already been invited to Regional
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Committee sessions, may continue to be invited to future sessions of the Regional Committee
pursuant to Rule 2 of the Rules of Procedure, as amended”.
To further strengthen its engagement and build on its successful collaboration with NSAs,
the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific proposes establishing a procedure for granting
accreditation to regional NSAs not in official relations with WHO, for the consideration of the
seventy-fifth session of the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in October 2024. Aligning
with the official relations mechanism at the global level, nongovernmental organizations,
international business associations and philanthropic foundations shall be able to apply for
accreditation.
The final draft of the procedure will be available on the WHO website and further
information on this item will be shared during the Partners’ briefing.
WHO contacts
The External Relations and Partnerships team serves as the focal point for IGOs, NSAs
and other invited partners during the Regional Committee session. For enquiries, an email can be
sent to WPRpartnerships@who.int.
Queries and technical issues related to the online registration can be sent to
wprorcm@who.int.