The International Health Partnership - Supportive Quotes from Partners
5 September 2007
DFID
Hear Douglas Alexander on International Health Partnership (846
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UNAIDS
“We welcome this International Health Partnership, which highlights
the critical need to address the health MDGs and the urgent need for better
coordination and to strengthen health systems. UNAIDS fully supports this
emphasis, as part of the international mobilization of effort needed to achieve
the MDGs. Delivering on our promises to make the money work better and achieve
universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support, requires us to take
seriously our commitments to harmonize and align our support. Our experience in
the AIDS response has shown that greater coordination between donors and the
meaningful involvement of all partners within countries makes progress possible
and sustainable. Through this initiative we believe we have taken a major step
towards turning these commitments to tangible, measurable actions at country
level, for which we should all be held accountable.”
Dr. Peter Piot, Executive
Director, The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
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GAVI
“GAVI warmly welcomes this very timely initiative and I congratulate the
governments and other partners involved for continuing to show leadership in
international health. It presents us with both a political and a practical
opportunity to scale up health investments and to make donor coordination a
truly country-driven process. The GAVI Alliance will work actively with our
partners to energise coordinated progress towards delivery of the health MDG
through this international health partnership.”
Dr. Julian Lob-Levyt, Executive Secretary, GAVI Alliance
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UNFPA
"UNFPA is proud to be part of the International Health Partnership. By
joining forces for a common goal, we can advance the right to heath for millions
of people. Through concerted efforts to strengthen health systems, we can
dramatically improve maternal health, reduce child mortality and tackle
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This initiative will accelerate the
achievement of these Millennium Development Goals and their targets including
universal access to AIDS treatment and reproductive health."
Thoraya Ahmed Obaid,
Executive Director, UNFPA
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World Bank
"Poor health too often goes hand in hand with poverty and blunted
economic prospects, with clear evidence in developing countries that weak health
systems are a significant roadblock to improving the health of their citizens, "
says Joy Phumaphi, World Bank Vice President for Human Development, a former
health minister for Botswana, and Assistant Director General for family and
community health at WHO. "As development partners, we must now mobilize behind
this important new initiative to strengthen health systems, and build on the
existing political will and coordination at the country level to help
communities and their governments achieve long-term, sustained good health. "
Joy Phumaphi, Vice President and Network Head, Human Development, World Bank
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Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
"This partnership can help save lives by strengthening health systems in
developing countries, and ensuring that health resources go where they're needed
most.
"We need a new level of coordination among donors, governments, and
international agencies to succeed in building strong health systems. But we also
need additional resources and an increased focus on results. I look to the
International Health Partnership to make that a reality."
Bill Gates, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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World Health Organisation
“The Millennium Development Goals place health
firmly at the centre of the international development agenda. Now, at the
midpoint in the countdown to 2015, the World Health Organization shares the
sense of urgency that brings this partnership into being, and pledges its full
technical knowledge and expertise to this shared work. I congratulate the
governments involved for their leadership and commitment. “The message from
countries is clear: if we are to make real progress in achieving the MDG targets
and improving health outcomes, the international health community needs to
better coordinate its support and participation. We can and must do this because
tens of thousands of lives are at stake every day: of mothers giving birth, of
children hoping for a fifth birthday, of people infected with HIV/AIDS and sick
with tuberculosis and malaria. We are striving for equitable, comprehensive
basic health care. “Strengthening health systems is the way to get there, and
coordinated partnership – supporting country plans and actions – is how we will
make the most of our efforts.”
Dr Margaret Chan, Director General, WHO
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UNICEF
"Half-way to the 2015 MDG deadline, parts of the world still fall short of
the target goals. With each day we lag behind, tens of thousands of young
children will lose their lives. Many of these deaths are preventable by simple,
affordable measures as basic as a six-cent sachet of oral rehydration salts, a
fifty-cent vaccination against measles and rubella.
But saving lives comes down to more than just dollars and cents. It comes
down to strengthening the health systems of the world’s most vulnerable
populations.
That is why I am pleased to express UNICEF’s strong support for the
International Health Partnership, a new initiative that reflects the global
community’s heightened sense of urgency to achieve the health-related MDGs."
Kul Gautam, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF
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PMNCH
“Over ten million women and children still die needlessly every year, largely
from preventable causes. The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
welcomes the initiative to support comprehensive national health plans defined
by countries themselves, which focus commitment and resources where they are
most needed. The successful delivery of basic services for mothers, newborns and
children is the best test of a functioning health system. We now have an
opportunity to express our full solidarity to make better health a reality for
all.”
Dr Francisco Songane, Director, Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child
Health
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The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
“The International Health Partnership reflects another important step towards
improved donor coordination, with alignment of all our efforts around national
health strategies that are comprehensive and country-owned. The Global Fund
looks forward to working with the pilot countries, the governments of the UK,
Norway and other partners, on this very promising initiative in global public
health.”
Prof. Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director, The Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
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Queen of Jordan
“Everyone who cares about global public health has something to
celebrate today. Once again, the UK has stepped forward as innovator,
instigator, and moral leader -- bringing the development community together to
strengthen health care systems for the poor. Much has been achieved in recent
years in the fight against specific diseases. Yet in too many places, poor
families are afflicted not only by disease, but also by the lack of accessible,
affordable clinics and care. This burden falls hardest on the most vulnerable
among us – the ten million children who die each year before they reach their
fifth birthday. How much longer will impoverished parents have to bury the
babies they love? Every child deserves to see a doctor or nurse. Every child
deserves life-saving immunizations. And every country deserves support in
building a public health system that works. The time is past for empty pledges.
The time is now for action. I applaud this new partnership and will do all I can
to help ensure its success.”
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Jordan
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Save the Children
"The focus of today's initiative is spot on. Supporting health systems in the
poorest countries around the world means there will be more clinics, doctors,
nurses and medicines available to help save children's lives. Around 30,000
children are dying every day, many of preventable diseases. Bringing together
rich and poor governments and organisations like the WHO and the Global Fund
behind this initiative is a major breakthrough and we will be doing everything
we can to support as well as monitor progress.
At the G8, aid agencies like Save the Children pushed for a concrete plan to
be drawn up to strengthen health systems and increase the number of people that
have access to essential treatment."
Jasmine Whitbread, Chief Executive, Save the Children
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Oxfam
"The International Health Partnership is a very welcome move and if it is
supported by the donor countries could bring much needed co-ordination to the
current disorder of disparate health initiatives."
Barbara Stocking, Director, Oxfam GB
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First wave countries
Burundi
"The crisis since 1993 has taken a heavy toll on our people, and left us many
challenges as we move forward in peace and security. One of the biggest is in
improving our people’s health. Because of the past, and long-term under-funding,
we have had very limited health services. Where services were available, they
were not only low quality, but too expensive for most people. 176 children out
of every 1,000 born alive do not reach their 5th birthday, more than half our
children are malnourished and 615 mothers die out of every 100,000 live births.
" This is why the President announced free health care for childbirth and for
children under 5 in May 2006 . Demand was huge, showing clearly what a barrier
costs were to good health. We can be thankful today that more mothers now have
safer childbirth, more children are being treated in our health centres and
hospitals. But the road in front of us is still long, and we must recognise that
we cannot do it alone.”
His
Excellency Gabriel Ntisezerana, 2nd Vice President of the Republic of Burundi
“Le Gouvernement du Burundi est heureux de faire parti des premiers pays
sélectionnés pour cette initiative importante et salutaire pour sa population.
Cette initiative arrive à point nommé car elle coïncide avec le début de la mise
en œuvre des réformes sanitaires issues du Plan National de Développement
Sanitaire en vue de relever les principaux défis du gouvernement en matière de
santé à savoir l’amélioration de l’accès et de la qualité des soins de santé
primaires surtout pour les groupes vulnérables, la réponse aux urgences dans une
parfaite articulation pour un développement sanitaire harmonieux et durable avec
l’appui de tous ses partenaires. “Le Gouvernement du Burundi s’engage à une
utilisation adéquate des ressources qui seront mises à sa disposition en vue
d’accélérer l’amélioration des indicateurs des Objectifs du Millénaire pour le
Développement en matière de santé. Il voudrait aussi saisir cette occasion pour
remercier vivement la communauté Internationale pour l’appui qu’elle lui apporte
en cette période difficile de post conflit.“
Translation: “The Government of
Burundi is delighted to be in the vanguard of this important and supportive
initiative which comes at a critical time for us, as we begin a programme of
major health reform. Burundi’s National Health Plan clearly sets out the
challenges we face in improving access to quality primary health care,
especially for vulnerable groups, and our strategy for urgent and coordinated
response with the help of our partners. “Burundi commits itself to make best use
of the resources that are provided to accelerate its progress on the Health MDGs. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the international
community for its help.
Dr Rose Gahiru, Minister of Health, Republic of Burundi
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Cambodia
“Cambodia is pleased to participate in the new International Health
Partnership which is intended to develop a new deal to radically improve the
ways of working together to strengthen and deliver country-led plans for better
health.”
His Excellency Nuth Sokhom, Minister of Health, Cambodia
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Ethiopia
“Ethiopia is committed to ensuring that all of its people have
access to primary health services by 2010 and is now rolling out a new Health
Extension Programme. This programme, which is designed to bring health services
closer to the household, is already achieving impressive results. Resources for
health in Ethiopia are provided by donors and global funds as well as from
public revenues. But because donors have different – and often complex - rules
and reporting requirements for the projects that they offer to fund, and because
we don’t have enough staff to manage projects in accordance with their rules and
requirements, we can’t actually make use of all of the funding that donors offer
us for health. This is a great pity, because we need all of that money – and
more – in order to make sure that everyone in this country has access to good
quality basic health care services.
“In Ethiopia we recognise harmonisation –
which basically means the need to make aid more effective by supporting national
plans rather than imposing external priorities and procedures - as a major
challenge to the achievement of our objectives in health. In 2005 a Code of
Conduct on health sector harmonisation was signed by the Ministry of Health and
12 multilateral and bilateral partners. Although there has been commendable
progress on harmonisation in the past two years, there remains a great deal of
room for further improvement.
“In joining the International Health Partnership
we expect important changes that will enable us to utilise a higher proportion
of the aid that is currently available, demonstrate better health results, and,
eventually, persuade donors to make much more money available for health in
Ethiopia.”
Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Health Minister, Ethiopia
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Kenya
“Relationships and coordination mechanisms between Government,
development and implementing partners are improving but still need to be
strengthened at all levels in the sector. The announcement of this initiative
provides great potential for deepening of our efforts in implanting the Paris
declaration.”
Hon. Charity Ngilu, Minster of Health, Kenya
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Mozambique
“Six out of eight Goals and nine out of eighteen targets of the
Millennium Development Goals are linked to health and health related areas. The
interventions needed to meet these targets call for interrelated health actions.
I plea for the integration of vertical programmes in the National Health
Systems. Only robust and strengthened National Health Systems can properly
deliver comprehensive and integrated health care in order to improve the health
status of the population.”
Dr Paulo Ivo Garrido, Minister of Health, Mozambique
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Nepal
“I’m delighted that Nepal has been able to join this partnership, it
will help ensure that aid from our international partners is better coordinated
and supports the priorities of our national plan. It will help us cut the costs
of health for poor people, improve our health systems, build health centres, get
drugs into these centres, and train up new doctors and nurses.”
Girirajmani
Pokharel, Health Minister, Nepal
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Zambia
“The International Health Partnership is a very welcome initiative for
Zambia, particularly for the Ministry of Health because improving aid
co-ordination in the sector by ensuring that Co-operating Partners are
harmonised within the Government led systems and procedures and commit to invest
resources to national priorities as articulated in the national and sector
strategic frameworks is an issue that is so paramount to the Ministry of Health.
At a policy level we have very clearly articulated, since the inception of our
health reforms, policies and strategies that are enshrined within our National
Health Policies and Strategies and our five year National Health Strategic Plans
how we intend to better co-ordinate our Co-operating Partners in order to make
development aid to the health sector more effective.”
Brian Chituwo, Health
Minister, Zambia
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