The World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU) have signed an updated agreement on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva.
The WHO disclosed this on Saturday.
The agreement aims to advance health security, universal health coverage, and sustainable development across Africa.
WHO said the agreement was signed by Ambassador Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, on behalf of Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
It also noted that the agreement marks a defining moment for primary health care and universal health coverage.
The partnership focused on five key areas which include strengthening health systems, support for local pharmaceutical manufacturing, traditional medicine, domestic health financing, workforce development, and digital health innovation.
Others are maternal, child, and adolescent health; which entails support for the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA Plus 2021–2030) and advancement of the reviewed Addis Ababa Declaration on Immunization (ADi).
Another area is disease prevention and control; which entails supporting the implementation of AU frameworks on communicable and non-communicable diseases, including efforts to end AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and address the burden of viral hepatitis in line with WHO strategies.
The partnership also includes nutrition and food security; which entails strengthening the nutrition agenda through implementation of the Africa Nutrition Strategy 2015–2025 and related WHO strategies. Then, Health in emergency settings; which entails strengthening joint responses to humanitarian crises, conflicts, and climate-related emergencies.
The renewed agreement underscores the AU’s leadership in shaping Africa’s health landscape and WHO’s commitment to supporting the continent’s health priorities. Both parties emphasized the importance of collective action and collaboration to address Africa’s pressing health challenges and achieve sustainable development goals.
“This Agreement marks a new chapter in AU–WHO cooperation. By working together more closely, we can better respond to the health needs of our populations and ensure that no one is left behind. The African Union values WHO’s central and leading role in global health and looks forward to deepening this strategic partnership in support of our shared goals. We need to move from budgeting for survival to planning for health sovereignty,” WHO-AU said.