DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF GLOBAL HEALTH
1. In 2005 the World Health Assembly through its resolution WHA58.28 on eHealth urged Member States “to consider drawing up a long-term strategic plan for developing and implementing eHealth services…to develop the infrastructure for information and communication technologies for health…to promote
equitable, affordable and universal access to their benefits.” Countries and stakeholders were urged to direct their efforts towards creating a consistent eHealth vision in line with a country’s health priorities and resources, developing an action plan to deliver the proposed vision, and creating a framework for
monitoring and evaluating eHealth implementation and progress. Recognizing that more than 120 Member
States – including low- and middle-income countries – have developed such strategies and policies.
2. In 2013, the Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA66.24 on eHealth standardization and
interoperability, which urged Member States “to consider developing … policies and legislative mechanisms
linked to an overall national eHealth strategy”.
3. The global strategy on digital health builds on resolutions adopted by the United Nations General
Assembly1
and the World Health Assembly,2 related WHO global and regional reports, 3 regional strategies, the two-part report of the ISO Technical Committee on Health Informatics on eHealth architecture,4
the resolution on ICD-11 and the WHO Family of international classifications and terminologies, the three-part National eHealth strategy toolkit,5 Member States’ current digital health situation and status, actions,
strategies, policies and investments, and recommendations of various United Nations panels on digital and
innovation topics.
4. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development6 highlights that the spread of information and
communications technology and global interconnectedness has great potential to accelerate human
progress, to bridge the digital divide and to develop knowledge societies.
5. The outcome document of the high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on Information Society…Readmore