Media Advisory: Launch of the Regional Health Alliance

2 March 2020 – An alliance of several international health and development partners are launching a Regional Health Alliance hosted by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. The Alliance invites members of the media to a tree-planting ceremony on Thursday, 5 March 2020 at 12:00 at the Children’s Park, Nasr City (opposite the WHO Regional Office), to mark the launch of the Regional Health Alliance – a group of 12 multilateral health, development and humanitarian agencies – which aims to facilitate implementation of “The Global Action Plan on Healthy Lives and Well-being for All” signed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (the GFF); The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund); the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); (UNITAID); United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women); the World Bank Group; World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) . The Alliance will support countries to accelerate progress towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

SDG 3 – ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages – is critical to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Improved health and well-being is mutually reinforcing across 17 SDGs, including those to end poverty and reduce inequalities, achieve gender equality, grow economies, protect the environment and promote peaceful and inclusive societies. Despite remarkable gains in health over the past few decades, the world is not on track to achieve the health-related SDGs’ targets, and people are being left behind.

Building on the partnership of the Global Action Plan, the Regional Health Alliance includes additional UN partners including International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Representatives from these agencies and the Arab League of States will join the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari and other UN Regional Directors, and senior officials from the signatory and non-signatory partner organizations in the event.

The specific objectives of the Regional Health Alliance are to:

• translate the commitment of partner agencies in the “Global Action Plan on Healthy Lives and Well-being for All” to address priority population health needs;
• enhance coordination and collaboration to advance progress towards the health-related SDGs and leverage regional resources and opportunities for innovative implementation of joint initiatives;
• facilitate, at country level, the delivery of aligned and coordinated technical support and policy discussion with Resident Coordinators and United Nations Country Team members on health components of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework;
• advance knowledge and operational research on best practices and highlight successes and challenges;
• collectively review progress, identify bottlenecks and discuss approaches to resolve and address emerging concerns.

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For more information, contact:

Mona Yassin

Media and Communications

WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean

Tel: +202 22765020/21

Email: [ Click to reveal ]

Nourhan El-Nagdy

Communications Associate

UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States

Email: nourhan.elnagdy@unwomen.org