13 October 2022, Cairo – Multisectoral action that leaves no one behind and involves innovative youth-driven partnerships is central to achieving Health for All by All.
This is what participants agreed during a panel discussion on “Leveraging partnerships for collective and transformative actions to achieve Health for All by All” during the 69th session of the WHO Regional Committee of the Eastern Mediterranean.
During the session four distinguished panellists – representing the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Women in Global Health (WGH), the Ministry of Health in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and WHO – discussed the need for collective action to address current and emerging health challenges.
In his opening remarks, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, underlined that “working in partnerships is not a choice anymore; it’s an imperative”.
The session highlighted the added value of partnerships in the post COVID-19 pandemic era, with panellists sharing global and regional experiences and perspectives on how to upscale partnerships at country and regional levels.
Scott Douglas Pendergast, Director of Strategic Planning and Partnerships in the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, cast a spotlight on the potential value of partnership with the Financial Intermediary Fund for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (FIF), outlining how it could help ensure predictable financing to strengthen preparedness and response capabilities in low- and middle-income countries and improve coordination among partners to strengthen health systems.
Engagement with FIF, he said, is an indication of WHO’s growing role in influencing changes in the global health financing architecture to ensure that adequate resources are available at a country level.
Dr Roopa Dhatt, Executive Director of WGH, emphasized that mainstreaming gender into health policy and practice required engagement with a range of actors from both within and beyond the health system. She spoke about the added value of WGH entering into an official relationship as a non-state actor with WHO, and how it contributes not only to addressing women’s health issues but to the effective participation of women in the health workforce.
Dr Hani Jokhdar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Public Health, shared his country’s experience of pioneering the Healthy Cities initiative in the Region and the importance of engaging with a range of public and private sector actors to create a policy and regulatory environment conducive to multisectoral action.
May Ali Babiker, Head of IsDB’s Regional Hub, Cairo, stressed that engaging public and private sector partners for effective multisectoral action is necessary to address public health challenges. She emphasized the role of multilateral financing institutions in building partnerships for health through creating innovative and inclusive models and mechanisms to enhance impact across the health-related Sustainable Development Goals.