World Health Organization

Joint International Health Partners Statement on Behalf of the GAVI Alliance, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), UNICEF, United Nations Population Fund, World Bank and the World Health Organization

September 05, 2007

    LONDON, Sept. 5 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- 

    We, as international health partners committed to
improving health and development outcomes in the world,
welcome and fully support the International Health
Partnership's mission to strengthen health systems, and we
congratulate those involved for setting it in motion.
 
    Despite advances over recent years -- for example, in
expanding vaccination coverage and access to antiretroviral
therapy -- progress towards achieving the key health targets
in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is too slow,
costs lives and must improve. One woman dies in childbirth
each minute.  Every day, about 28,000 children under five
die from largely preventable causes, including malaria,
more than 10,000 people are infected with HIV and 22,000
people become sick with tuberculosis.
 
    This is neither fair nor tolerable.  Rates of death and
illness must be reduced, health inequalities resolved and
access to basic health services vastly increased.
 
    Urgent action is needed if we are to get back on track
to reach these goals.  This process must be country-led and
outcome-driven, based on priorities set out in comprehensive
national health plans.  It will require increased emphasis
on collaboration, team-work and effective coordination.
 
    The renewed political interest in strengthening health
systems gives us the important opportunity we need to
redouble our efforts to meet the challenge of the MDGs
head-on.  Strengthening health systems means addressing key
constraints related to health worker staffing,
infrastructure, health commodities, logistics, tracking
progress and effective financing.
 
    We will be coordinated and accountable in this work and
take every opportunity to capture knowledge and lessons
learned in improving health programmes.  Jointly, we will
provide technical assistance and financing to countries so
they can move towards effective and sustainable health
systems that deliver improved health services for all.  We
will pursue this with the active engagement of developing
countries, the global health community, all development
partners and civil society partners.
 
    Building on past successes and ongoing efforts, we can
and must do better -- together. 



 
    For more information, please contact:
 
    World Health Organization
     Joel Schaefer
     Tel:    [phone]
     Mobile: [phone] 
     Email:  [e-mail]
 
    GAVI Alliance
     Jeffrey Rowland
     Tel:    [phone]
     Mobile: [phone] 
     Email:  [e-mail]
 
    Global Fund
     Jon Liden
     Tel:    [phone]
     Mobile: [phone] 
     Email:  [e-mail]
 
    UNAIDS
     Bret Brintzenhofe
     Tel:    [phone]
     Email:  [e-mail]

    United Nations Population Fund
     Abubakar Dungus
     UNFPA New York
     Tel:    [phone]
 
    UNICEF
     Angela Hawke
     Tel:    [phone]
     Email:  [e-mail]
 
    World Bank
     Phil Hay
     Mobile: [phone]
     Email:  [e-mail]
 
    All press releases, fact sheets and other WHO media
material may be found at: http://www.who.int .