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A WHO guide for planners, implementers and managers
Annex 2
Sixty-second World Health Assembly resolution WHA62.12 on Primary health 
care, including health system strengthening
22 May 2009
The Sixty-second World Health Assembly, 
Welcoming the efforts of the Director-General, and recognizing the pivotal role that WHO plays in 
promoting primary health care globally; Having considered the report on primary health care, including 
health system strengthening; Reaffirming the Declaration of Alma-Ata (1978) and the United Nations 
Millennium Declaration (2000); Recalling the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986) and subsequent 
relevant resolutions of WHO regional committees and health assemblies; Recalling also the discussions at 
the series of summits and global, regional and national conferences that have reaffirmed the commitment 
of Member States to primary health care and strengthening health systems; Noting the growing consensus 
in the global health community that vertical approaches, such as disease-specific programmes, and 
integrated health systems approaches are mutually reinforcing and contribute to achieving the health-
related Millennium Development Goals; Recognizing the need to draw on the experiences, both positive 
and negative, of primary health care in the years since the Declaration of Alma-Ata and the Millennium 
Declaration; 
Welcoming the World health report 2008, published on the thirtieth anniversary of the international 
conference of Alma-Ata, that identifies four broad policy directions for reducing health inequalities and 
improving health for all: tackling health inequalities through universal coverage, putting people at the 
centre of care, integrating health into broader public policy, and providing inclusive leadership for health; 
and also welcoming the final report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health; 
Reaffirming the need to build sustainable national health systems, strengthen national capacities, and 
honour fully financing commitments made by national governments and their development partners, as 
appropriate, in order to better fill the resource gaps in the health sector; 
Reaffirming also the need to take concrete, effective and timely action, in implementing all agreed 
commitments on aid effectiveness and to increase the predictability of aid, while respecting recipient 
countries’ control and ownership of their health system strengthening, more so given the potential effects 
on health and health systems of the current international financial and food crises and of climate change; 
Strongly reaffirming the values and principles of primary health care, including equity, solidarity, social 
justice, universal access to services, multisectoral action, decentralization and community participation as 
the basis for strengthening health systems;