24 November 2021 – Oman, the first country in the Region to conclude the preparation of its Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) using the new 2020 CCS Guidelines, launched its fourth CCS for 2021–2025 on 28 June 2021.
The event was held under the auspices of HE Minister of Health Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Obaid Al Sa'eedi and in the presence of Dr Jean Jabbour, WHO Representative to Oman, and two Undersecretaries from the Ministry of Health.
A large audience for the event was reached through the virtual participation of all Director-Generals at the Ministry's headquarters and regional offices, along with other health professionals from the Ministry of Health. Dr Rayana Bou Haka, Manager, Country Focus Support in the WHO Regional Office participated virtually alongside other WHO country office staff.
The Minister of Health acknowledged the effort undertaken to produce the strategy, which was well-tailored to WHO’s global and regional mandates, while meeting the health needs of Oman. His Excellency further stressed the importance of working collaboratively in implementing the joint CCS, praising the ongoing successful close cooperation between the Sultanate and WHO.
Dr John Jabbour, WHO Representative, noted that the strategy was the culmination of extensive reviews by the WHO country office, coupled with the input of relevant experts, in close collaboration with key officials in the Ministry of Health over the past two years. He expressed his appreciation to the leaders of the Ministry and the WHO country office team for their contributions in preparing this important achievement, which represents a road map that extends from 2021 to 2025, in line with the tenth 5-year health development plan in Oman.
Dr Lamia Mahmoud, Public Health Specialist at the WHO country office, delivered a presentation on the objectives and strategic priorities of the CCS, which address a broad agenda spanning universal health coverage to the promotion of healthy lifestyles and well-being, through partnership with the relevant sectors in the Sultanate.
Dr Halima Al-Hinai, Acting Director-General of Planning and Studies at the Ministry of Health, delivered a presentation on the engagement of the Ministry's teams in developing the CCS, emphasizing its importance as a basis for subsequent biennia planning processes to determine priorities based on the country needs specified in the CCS. She highlighted that the strategy reflects an alignment of the technical support provided by WHO to the specific needs of each country, taking into account the dynamic contexts and emerging environmental risks.
The CCS approach represents WHO’s strategic framework to guide the Organization's work with its Member States, ensuring greater coherence with national health and development agendas. The CCS enables focus on a set of agreed joint priorities for WHO collaboration to assure public health impact. It also facilitates progress towards implementation of WHO’s Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13) and the regional Vision 2023, in a manner that is responsive to country needs and priorities.