Former Commissioner to be WHO special envoy
The outgoing European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, David Byrne, is to take up a new role as a special envoy for the World Health Organization (WHO) at the end of October.
The outgoing European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, David Byrne, is to take up a new role as a special envoy for the World Health Organization (WHO) at the end of October.
Byrne will become the WHO Special Envoy on the revision of the International Health Regulations, the main piece of international law governing the control of infectious diseases. They were first adopted in 1969 for a small number of diseases and with minor amendments have remained largely unchanged since then.
The revision of the Regulations to broaden their scope has been under way for several years and is now approaching a crucial decision point. The revision has become more urgent in light of the recent outbreaks of SARS and avian influenza.
'I am delighted that Commissioner Byrne will be joining WHO at this key moment,' said Lee Jong-wook, WHO Director-General. 'It is a mark of the importance of the revision process that someone of his stature is willing to take on this role.'
Officials from WHO's 192 member states will come together from 1-12 November to negotiate a revised draft of the Regulations. The final draft will be presented to the World Health Assembly in May 2005. Byrne's role will be to facilitate this process of negotiation, working with the member states and the WHO Director-General to resolve any outstanding difficulties and to build support for the solutions proposed.