WHO welcomes the United Nations Secretary-General’s appointment of a High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth, and looks forward to coordinating the Commission’s work together with the International Labour Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The Commission will be chaired jointly by President Francois Hollande of France and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, with WHO, ILO and OECD acting as co-vice chairs. It will start its work later this month and deliver its recommendations to the Secretary-General in September 2016.
By 2030, global demand for health care is projected to create more than 40 million new employment opportunities, mostly in upper-middle and high-income countries. Conversely, low- and lower-middle-income countries are facing a potential deficit of 18 million health workers to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This will be exacerbated by the increasing trend of international migration of health workers. This mismatch poses a threat to the stability of health systems and global health security.
In December 2015, the United Nations General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to explore steps to meet the global shortfall of trained health workers, within the context of achieving Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.