Celebrating the WHA76 Resolution For Safe And Effective Food Fortification

It is with great pleasure that we announce that The seventy-sixth World Health Assembly has voted to adopt the resolution “Accelerating efforts for preventing micronutrient deficiencies and their consequences, including spina bifida and other neural tube defects, through safe and effective food fortification”. This is a tremendous achievement for the global SBH community.

This WHO resolution is unique as it combines policies to approach a serious public health crisis with a holistic approach. Combining perspectives from the fields of disability rights, health care and nutrition. Tapping on a global momentum to make a real impact on public health.

Read the IF Press Release here.

IF, together with partners, and most importantly with IF Members worked together to make this important resolution a reality. In this moment of celebration IF would like to thank you for your extraordinary effort, passion and dedication to the advocacy for this resolution. IF members have been instrumental in reaching national policy makers in effort to get their national governments to support the initiative.

The campaign for the WHA Resolution has raised awareness of the importance of cross-sectoral collaborations for public health policies advocacy. To recognise the vital role that each stakeholder has in furthering not only knowledge and awareness but most importantly, achieving policy action. A core principle of disability rights is ‘nothing about us, without us’ and this principle is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). During the course of the advocacy for a WHA resolution on large scale food fortification of staple foods with folic acid, the involvement of persons with lived experiences through their representative organisations proved to be an advantage and not just an obligation.

WHA76 Side Event

The adoption of the WHA Resolution is a moment for celebration. But it is also just the beginning. Moving forward, continued advocacy will be essential in order to ensure effective implementation of the resolution. It is vital that IF and you as Member Associations continue to be involved in the decision making processes regarding policies to reduce the prevalence of spina bifida and other neural tube defects to ensure that these policies are implemented in ways that effectively reach all sections of society and without stigmatising the global SBH community.

For increased awareness of the resolution and to begin the campaign for its implementation, IF will continue its advocacy during and after the WHA. Please find below IF’s press release and useful resources for you to use to join us in this campaign.

RESOURCES

• IF Press Release 

• IF Statement: A Call for a Global Action to Reduce the Prevalence of Neural Tube Defects Worldwide

• Infographic about fortification to reduce the prevalence of Neural Tube Defects

• IF Information Package on Global Advocacy for Prevention through Food Fortification

• Lancet’s Publication ‘Preventing birth defects, saving lives, and promoting health equity: an urgent call to action for universal mandatory food fortification with folic acid’

• WHA Resolution Social Media Toolkit

Looking forward to Joint Actions for the Effective Implementation of the WHA Resolution on safe and effective food fortification.