Accra, June 30, GNA - Members of the World Health Assembly (WHA) have reached an agreement on policy instruments and guidelines on the tackling of non-communicable diseases.

A statement issued to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Wednesday said the members arrived at the agreement at the 63rd WHA conference organised for health ministers and senior health officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO) member States in Geneva, Switzerland.

It indicated that various resolutions were also adopted on a variety of global health issues before the closure of the Assembly. It said the issue of intellectual property was critical, for 4.8 billion people who lived in developing countries and that more than 40 per cent of them lived on less than $2 a day, adding that poverty affects their access to health products to fight diseases.

It also said a global strategy was designed to promote new thinking innovation and access to medicine which would encourage needs-driven research rather than market-driven research. On food security, the statement said national food production systems were susceptible to food safety problems and that more food was traded across borders than ever.

The statement encouraged member countries working directly with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to strengthen public health, support economic development and continue joint risk assessment through WHO and FAO expert bodies. 30 June 10