Margaret Chan

"It Is Time to Act": World Health Assembly Side Event on Health and Well-Being in Emergencies

Thursday, May 21, 2015
Yesterday, during the World Health Organization’s 68th World Health Assembly, the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, along with United Nations agencies and nine member states, held a well-attended side event on health and well-being in emergencies.

States Must Do More to Stem "New & Frightening Trend" of Attacks Against Health Care

Thursday, September 25, 2014
A high-level panel during the United Nations General Assembly concluded States must take concrete action to ensure the protection of health care—particularly in situations of armed conflict and emergencies—and garnered support for an eventual UN resolution on the topic. Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, co-chaired the event with Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization.

Health Care and Violence: The Need for Effective Protection

Thursday, September 25, 2014
Violence against health-care workers and facilities, medical vehicles and patients during armed conflict and other emergencies is one of the most serious challenges of humanitarian concern in the world today. Violent acts, which limit access to health-care services for those most in need and disrupt health-care systems, have severe immediate and long-term consequences. Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), has highlighted the alarming scale of the problem.