73rd WHO AFR Regional Committee Meeting: Gaborone, Botswana
About the WHO Afro Region
1. The WHO Afro Regional committee for Africa is a yearly event and the 73rd edition was held in Gaborone Botswana 28th August to 1st September 2023.
The 72nd edition was held in Lome, Togo Republic in August 2022.
Walk The Talk on 27th August 2023– thus preceding commencement of meeting.
The participants led by the WHO Leaders & Political leaders of the host country usually participate in this yearly Health Walk. This year it was tagged: WALK THE TALK OR WALK FOR LIFE - Beat Non-Communicable Diseases. I was the 5th edition.
The Regional Director of WHO Afro is Dr Matshidiso Moeti from Gaborone Botswana since 2019. She was elected at the 69th meeting that took place in Brazzaville, Social Democratic Republic of Congo.
Participants
47 African countries were represented and most of them were the health ministers in their countries as team leads. These are the SA (State Actors), there were many NSA (Non-State Actors) which was WONCA category. Many multinational organizations including Bill & Belinda Gates Foundation, USAID, World Bank, Global fund, Rotary International just to mention a few were in attendance.
There was a 4- pillar agenda, 9 side events and 3 special events.
Opening ceremony was very elaborate with important political leaders of Republic of Botswana present and Led by the president, His Excellency Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, WHO leaders, State Actors and Non State Actors.
Celebrating 75 years of WHO was an important pat of the meeting.
Presentation of national merit award to the Director WHO Afro, Dr. Moeti for exceptional leadership by His Excellency president Massissi of Botswana.
All the frame works were presented under the 4 pillars and side events; exhaustively deliberated upon by all interested State Actors and NSAs and adopted.
Some of the adopted resolutions are listed below :
- Framework for implementing the Global strategic directions for nursing and midwifery, 2021–2025 in the WHO African Region was discussed and passed.
- Framework for sustaining resilient health systems to achieve universal health coverage and promote health security, 2023– 2030 in the WHO African Region. WONCA made a 2-minute contribution here.
- Regional multisectoral strategy to promote health and wellbeing, 2023–2030 in the WHO African Region adopted.
- Building a foundation of Africa free of cervical cancer: reaffirming commitments to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem in the African Region adopted.
There was an elaborate closing ceremony, a guided tour of interested participants on the last day of meeting on 1st September 2023.
All activities went on as planned and timing was excellent.
The 74th WHO-Afro Regional Committee meeting shall hold in Brazzaville, Congo in August 2024 at the WHO regional Headquarters. No country bid to host the 74th edition in 2024.
It was elaborate, it was well organized and was a very successful event.
Dr. Dan Abubakar
President WONCA Africa Region
Team lead WONCA to WHO Afro 73rd meeting.
