Presentation of the trophy to H.E. the Minister of Health and Social Protection by the WHO Representative25 April 2023 – Celebrated on 7 April each year, World Health Day 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of WHO, under the theme "Health for All". The celebration was above all an opportunity to look back at the public health advances that have contributed to improving the quality of life of populations over the past seven decades. It was also an opportunity to call for action to address the health challenges of today and tomorrow.

To mark this historic day, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the WHO office in Morocco organized a ceremony to present and sign the Morocco–WHO cooperation strategy for the period 2023–2027. Developed following a rigorous evaluation of the previous cooperation strategy and consultation with key national and international partners in the health sector, this cooperation framework aligns WHO's work with Morocco's context and reform agenda.

The Morocco–WHO cooperation strategy focuses on four priority areas: strengthening the national health system in its efforts to achieve universal health coverage; strengthening the resilience of the national health system; strengthening governance in the process of redesigning the national health system; and promoting the health and well-being of the population and health equity by addressing social and environmental determinants and consolidating a multisectoral approach. 

In his opening remarks, His Excellency Professor Khalid Ait Taleb, the Minister of Health and Social Protection, said: "This cooperation strategy comes at the right time to support the achievement of national priorities and our international commitments as reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, based on the new CCSD* 2023–2027, the thirteenth General Programme of Work of WHO 2019–2025 and WHO’s strategy for the Eastern Mediterranean Region”.

During her speech, Dr Maryam Bigdeli, the WHO Representative in Morocco, commented, "To implement this strategy, we will of course work with our long-standing and privileged partner, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection. But we also renew our commitment to all our partners. For we will only succeed in overcoming the challenges of tomorrow by uniting and working together”.

The event was attended by Dr Christoph Hamelmann, Chef de Cabinet at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, who said: "We encourage Morocco to continue its strong commitment to South–South collaboration; WHO Collaborating Centres can play an important role in this regard. We count on Morocco's wisdom and leadership in its active participation in WHO's governing bodies. Important decisions need to be taken to further strengthen WHO’s strategic and financial capacities to enable it to play a leading role in global health”.

The celebration ended with the presentation of a trophy by Dr Bigdeli to Professor Ait Taleb, for the exemplary cooperation between the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and WHO, and the sustained efforts by the Kingdom of Morocco, under the High Guidance of H.M. King Mohammed VI, for the improvement of the population’s health.

*CCSD: Framework for Sustainable Development Cooperation