The World Health Organization and the African Union Commission have renewed their strategic partnership, signing an updated Memorandum of Understanding on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva. The agreement renews their commitment to health security, universal health coverage and sustainable development across Africa amid financial pressures in global health.
The memorandum was signed by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Ambassador Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah, the AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, on behalf of AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf. It builds on a 2019 agreement and is intended to strengthen coordination across AU entities and support the continent’s health priorities.
The renewed partnership identifies five areas of cooperation: strengthening health systems; reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health; disease prevention and control; nutrition and food security; and health responses in emergencies.
Health systems work will include regulatory harmonization, support for local pharmaceutical production, domestic health financing, workforce development and digital health. The agreement also supports AU initiatives on maternal mortality and immunization, as well as efforts to address communicable and noncommunicable diseases, including AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases and viral hepatitis.
On nutrition, the partners plan to advance the Africa Nutrition Strategy and relevant WHO strategies. Their emergency work will focus on joint responses to humanitarian crises, conflict and climate-related emergencies.
Twum-Amoah said the closer cooperation should help the partners respond to population health needs and advance the goal of leaving no one behind. Tedros said the agreement aims to turn the partnership into practical results and support countries in moving toward sustainable self-reliance.
Sources: WHO News.