after more than two days of hectic parleys, the World Health Organization's (who) Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health was endorsed at the 57th World Health Assembly (wha-57) in Geneva from May 17 to May 22. The plan aims to address two major factors, diet and physical activity, connected with the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. In this regard, it envisages countries evolving policies suited to their domestic environment.

"This is a landmark achievement in global public health policy,' said who director-general Lee Jong-wook, adding that it would serve as a powerful instrument to reduce the human and socio-economic costs of non-communicable diseases. With the member states settling for the April 2004 draft of the strategy, most of them lauded its adoption. At the same time, they incorporated their concerns in the resolution approving it. Some felt that there wasn't enough time for talks. "It would have helped to discuss the strategy at one wha and adopt it at the next, since some countries were not able to participate in the Executive Board meetings where the strategy was devised,' a delegate at the meeting pointed out.

Indian officials participating in wha-57 said they would first study the incidence of non-communicable diseases in the country, and then develop strategies and set targets in consultation with various stakeholders. Other countries are also expected to do the same. It is hoped that the pressure of having to report on the progress made in this regard by wha-59 in 2006 should yield results. As an Irish delegate put it: "It is not going to happen because the health minister goes back and says this is a very good document. This is going to need champions in each country.'
Divergent views Coming to an agreement at wha-57 was not easy. "It was difficult because each country had a different perspective,' pointed out Patricia Lambert of South Africa, also the chairperson of the drafting group that was given the task of resolving differences over the strategy. The main concerns included the potential of the use of trade-distorting measures by developed countries and the requirement for member nations to limit their intake of free sugars.

After nearly eight hours of negotiations, countries decided not to reopen the strategy. To tackle the apprehension about trade-distorting measures, sugar-exporting countries like Brazil succeeded in inserting some paragraphs in the resolution. These suggested that nothing in the strategy "would be construed as a justification for the adoption of trade-restrictive measures or trade-distorting practices'. The resolution also asked member states to ensure that their policies were "in accordance with their