WHO signs four-year accord with Commonwealth Secretariat to boost health resilience
It builds on an earlier MoU signed by the two organisations in 2022 and sets out areas for deeper collaboration on health system strengthening and emerging health challenges.
SWITZERLAND — The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Commonwealth Secretariat have renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for four years to strengthen cooperation on health and improve access to quality healthcare across the Commonwealth’s 56 member countries.
The agreement was signed by Commonwealth Secretary General Shirley Botchwey and WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
It builds on an earlier MoU signed by the two organizations in 2022 and sets out areas for deeper collaboration on health system strengthening and emerging health challenges.
The renewed partnership will focus on helping Commonwealth countries develop stronger, more resilient and equitable health systems.
The organisations will work together on four priority areas.
Focus on primary healthcare and health equity
First, WHO and the Commonwealth Secretariat will support countries to strengthen primary healthcare and essential health system capacities needed to achieve universal health coverage.
Their work will also promote innovation and the use of digital health technologies to improve healthcare delivery.
Second, the organisations will encourage governments to address the wider factors that influence health.
This will include promoting health considerations in policies across sectors and tackling the underlying causes of poor health.
The third priority will focus on expanding health service coverage and improving financial protection, particularly for populations affected by health and gender inequalities.
The partnership will seek to support policies that make healthcare more accessible and affordable for vulnerable communities.
The fourth area will address the health effects of climate change.
WHO and the Commonwealth Secretariat will support efforts to develop health systems that can withstand climate related pressures while reducing their environmental impact.
Coordinated action on health challenges
The renewed agreement comes as countries face overlapping health emergencies, climate-related risks and persistent inequalities.
Under the MoU, the two organisations will strengthen cooperation through high-level advocacy and multi-stakeholder discussions on the agreed priorities.
They will also promote evidence-based health policies and strategies by drawing on WHO’s technical guidance, recommendations, norms and standards.
In addition, the partnership will give greater attention to vulnerable countries, including small states, and groups facing significant barriers to healthcare.
Dr. Tedros said the partnership would combine long-term health system development with support for countries responding to immediate health threats.
He said WHO’s technical expertise, together with the Commonwealth Secretariat’s ability to bring governments and other stakeholders together, would help countries strengthen health systems, expand universal health coverage and prepare for future health challenges.
Botchwey said the renewal demonstrated the Commonwealth’s commitment to translating shared health priorities into practical action.
She said partnerships were central to the Commonwealth Strategic Plan because governments and institutions could not address complex health and development challenges independently.
Through the renewed MoU, WHO and the Commonwealth Secretariat will continue working with member countries to advance their shared health priorities and strengthen cooperation across the Commonwealth.
Be the first to leave a comment