World Health Assembly endorses global plan of action on violence against women and children

At the World Health Assembly in May 2016, a global plan of action to address interpersonal violence against women and children was adopted by member states.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "The global plan recommends actions under four strategic directions:

• strengthening health system leadership and governance
• strengthening health service delivery and health workers'/providers' capacity to respond to violence, in particular against women and against children
• strengthen programming to prevent interpersonal violence, in particular against women and girls, and against children
• improve information and evidence."

The global plan of action was adopted at the 2016 WHO general assembly under resolution, EB 138.R3 which:

• "encourages Member States to adapt the WHO Global Plan of Action in line with their international commitments already made, including those reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals;
• urges Member States and partners to implement the proposed actions for the four strategic directions in the WHO Global Plan of Action; and
• requests WHO Director-General to implement the proposed actions for the Secretariat and report to the 71st World Health Assembly and the 74th World Health Assembly on the progress achieved."

The development of the global plan of action was initiated at the 2014 World Health Assembly with a resolution (A67/A/CONF./1/Rev.1) which requested the WHO Director to develop a global plan.

The final draft of the global plan of action is included in Annex 2 of the Provisional agenda item 12.3 of the 69th World Health Assembly.