TOGO – Togo will host the 72nd Session of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa at the Lomé International Conference Centre from 22nd August to 26th August.
The WHO Regional Committee for Africa will be holding its upcoming annual flagship event in Lomé both in person and virtually through YouTube and Zoom.
Side events will take place inside the Conference such as an event focused on childhood tuberculosis elimination, a special polio event as well as a side event on pathways to leadership for Health Transformation Programme for Member States.
The World Health Organization announced that more than 400 participants including WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus and WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti are expected to attend the yearly conference.
In addition, President of Togo H.E. Faure Essozimna, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development for the African Union H.E. Minata Samate, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus and Dr Matshidiso Moeti will give opening remarks during the first session on 22nd August 2022.
Health ministers and health representatives from 47 African countries will meet in Lomé, Togo either in person or virtually for the Seventy-second session the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa.
The WHO Regional Committee for Africa is the Organization’s decision-making body on health policy in the African Region and the committee comprises of Ministers of Health or their representatives from each of the 47 Member States in the Region.
The Regional Committee formulates regional policies and supervises the regional office as set out in Article 50 of the WHO Constitution as well as nominates the Regional Director for Africa every five years and transmits its decision to the WHO Executive Board for endorsement.
Furthermore, the WHO Regional Committee for Africa usually meets each year in August and the Regional Director acts as its Secretary.
WHO highlights that the Regional Committee convenes once a year to discuss and endorse regional policies, activities and financial plans to improve people’s health and well-being.
Lomé, the Togolese capital, is set to host this year’s session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa that will see the attendance and participation of Ministers of Health, health representatives and senior health ministry officials from the 47 Member States
Other distinguished guests expected at the annual event include representatives of the African Union, United Nations agencies, civil society, bilateral and multilateral organizations and other development partners.
The forthcoming conference will provide an opportunity for African health ministers to endorse a new regional strategy to boost access to the treatment of severe noncommunicable diseases at district hospitals as well as a regional strategy on health emergencies.
Furthermore, a panel of African health ministers from high-burden countries, medical professionals and leaders from international organizations aim to bring sickle cell disease out of the shadows and urge stronger national prioritization.
“Artificial intelligence-driven health solutions in use in Africa will be featured before discussing what is needed to shape policy and enabling environments that can foster digital technologies for accelerated improvements in health,” WHO highlights.
The notable participants will also provide insights on rethinking and rebuilding resilient health systems in Africa along with an updated strategy that will revitalize action on environmental determinants of human health.
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