Sections:
The International Health Partnership - Supportive Quotes from Partners
5 September 2007
DFID
Hear Douglas Alexander on International Health Partnership
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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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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