Brazzaville – African health ministers and government representatives meeting in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, today opened the seventy-fourth session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa, the continent’s flagship health forum held annually to discuss and agree on measures to address health challenges and promote people’s well-being.
The session, which runs from 26 to 30 August 2024 in the Congolese capital, brings together health ministers from the 47 countries of the WHO African Region to discuss and endorse regional policies and adopt major resolutions to guide the Organization’s work on the continent. At this year’s session, ministers will also appoint a new Regional Director to succeed Dr Matshidiso Moeti, who is completing her ten-year term at the helm of the Organization.
“The Republic of Congo is honoured to host this important session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for Africa,” said HE President Denis Sassou N’Guesso at the opening of the Regional Committee, stressing that “health is our greatest wealth… WHO’s commitment to this noble cause for the survival of humanity encourages us…”
“This session comes at a critical moment for Africa. The continent is facing unprecedented challenges that require immediate and concerted action from us,” said Ambassador Minata Cessouma Samaté, African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development.
Key agenda items include reducing the high rates of child mortality and the urgent need to reverse this significant threat to Africa’s children. Polio and cervical cancer are two other health challenges that will receive special attention. For polio, the aim is to strengthen commitments and develop strategies to achieve complete eradication of the disease. For cervical cancer, the need to prioritize prevention through vaccination and human papillomavirus screening will be highlighted at a special side event.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commended Member States for strengthening emergency preparedness and primary health care, negotiating an agreement on pandemics and supporting the investment cycle to increase sustainable financing for WHO. But the new outbreak of mpox shows why sustained commitment and investment are needed to protect and promote public health in Africa, Dr Tedros added.
“WHO is committed to working with African countries and partners to rapidly contain the MPOx outbreak, and I am confident that we will succeed,” said Dr Tedros. “But this emergency exposes the weaknesses in the health security architecture in Africa and globally. That is why all Member States must actively engage in the pandemic agreement negotiations and invest in WHO and public health to protect present and future generations.”
commended Member States for their improvements in emergency preparedness and primary health care. He also thanked them for their key role in negotiating the WHO pandemic agreement and for their support for the WHO investment cycle to increase sustainable financing for the Organization.
According to Dr Tedros, the new MPOX outbreak highlights the need for sustained commitment and investment to protect and promote public health on the African continent.
“I am confident that with the leadership of the countries affected by MPOX, the support of WHO, and the partnership with Africa CDC and other organizations, we can bring these outbreaks under control quickly, as we have done with many other outbreaks in recent years,” said Dr Tedros. “However, gaps remain in the health security architecture, in Africa and globally. That is why I call on all Member States to actively engage in the pandemic agreement negotiations, to complete them by the end of the year, and to actively participate in the WHO investment cycle.”
This week’s events will also be an opportunity to recognize the significant progress made in the WHO African Region, including the Transformation Agenda implemented by Dr Moeti during her tenure as Regional Director. The Region has also been declared free of wild poliovirus, a historic public health victory. At the same time, 19 African countries have successfully eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease.
“Never before have governments and partners been more committed to delivering greater impact – by supporting integrated approaches to solving health challenges, putting people at the centre of action and reducing the fragmentation that has limited the results of significant health investments,” said Dr Moeti.
Around 800 participants are attending the session, including representatives from United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, civil society, academia and development partners, either in person or online.
