WHO CONFERENCE ON HEALTH AND DISABILITY
"To make a difference, measure difference with ICF"
17-20 April 2002, Trieste, Italy

The World Health Organization (WHO) in conjunction with the Ministry of Health of Italy and the Regional Government of the Regione Autonoma Friuli-Venezia Giulia is holding an International Conference on Health and Disability in Trieste, Italy from 17- 20 April 2002.

Objective
As a follow up to the 54th World Health Assembly endorsement of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), the objective of the Conference is to convene Ministers and other major policy- and decision-makers from both health and other sectors; representatives from international and national health, health-related agencies, non-governmental organizations, the private sector; scientists and researchers from various fields with the following aims:

  1. to stimulate a discussion on the vision and measurement of health and disability; and
  2. to generate commitment and to discuss perspectives for the implementation of the ICF.

Programme Structure
The Conference will be made up of two programme components: a ministerial programme scheduled for 18th April, followed by a two-day technical programme on the 19th and 20th April.

The ministerial programme will start off with two round table discussions. The first round table, under the title "Health and Wealth of Nations", will focus on the conceptualisation and measurement of population health. Participants will look into the impact of health on human functioning and discuss the role of ICF as the common language and descriptive framework linking health and human functioning. The second round table, "Disabled and Healthy?", will focus on the new definition and understanding of disability introduced by ICF. Participants will address issues around the continuum between health and disability, where the latter is understood as a decrement in functioning below a certain threshold.

The technical programme will include plenary topics and breakout sessions on specific aspects of ICF application:

Plenary topics

  1. What is wrong with disability statistics?
  2. ICF Implementation Roadmap

Breakout session topics

  1. ICF in Cinical Practice
  2. ICF in Surveys
  3. ICF as management and policy tool
  4. Training

Further Information
For further information regarding the programme please contact, Nenad Kostanjsek, GPE/CAS, by e-mail: kostanjsekn@who.int, Tel: +41.22.791.3242 or Fax: +41.22.791.4894

Provisional agenda

Wednesday, 17 April
Italian Network meeting and official launch of ICF Italian version
Registration of international participants

Thursday, 18 April
Opening by WHO, Governor of Region and Minister of Health, Italy
Round Table 1: Health and Wealth of Nations
Press Conference
Round Table 2: Disabled and Healthy?

Friday, 19 April
Technical meetings

Topics for plenary

  1. What is wrong with disability statistics?
  2. ICF implementation roadmap

    Topics for work sessions

  1. ICF in clinical practice
  2. ICF in surveys
  3. ICF as management and policy tool
  4. Training

Saturday, 20 April
Closure