WHO's contributors make all its work possible. Above: a health worker dedicated to polio eradication in Tanzania. ©WHO/Alexia Dickinson
As 2023 comes to a close, WHO wishes to thank all partners and donors who contributed to make the world a healthier place during the year through their funding, energy, collaboration and expertise. WHO extends special appreciation to those governments, organizations and individuals who provided fully flexible contributions to maintain a strong, independent WHO.
This week, we feature good-news articles from WHO regional offices. Read about Zanzibar’s success in staying free of cholera; Sweden’s investment to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights in Somalia; a partnership to strengthen the health system of the Lao People's Democratic Republic against the effects of climate change; improvements in Panama’s malaria response; a project funded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to bring more lifesaving medical oxygen to children; and more.
Read about more health achievements in 2023
Keeping cholera away in Zanzibar
Zanzibar has recorded 17 cholera outbreaks since 1978. During the last outbreak, from 2015 to 2016, the government initiated a multisectoral response, incorporating all ministries. ©WHO
Zanzibar has been cholera free for five years, thanks to WHO and a multi-partner effort.
The island’s government invested in wastewater drainage systems, rolled out a community education programme on sanitation and hygiene, and distributed hygiene kits, latrines, and household cleaning equipment to the public. Volunteers and the media provided community education on how to prevent the dangerous bacterial disease.
With support from WHO, Zanzibar is following a 10-year multisectoral strategy to keep the island free of transmission. As part of the Zanzibar Comprehensive Cholera Elimination Plan, health-care workers have been trained to use guidelines developed by WHO on water, sanitation and hygiene to minimize the spread of infection, and health workers have been trained to log cholera symptoms in a central database for quick verification and action.
In Panama, communities are on the frontlines of eliminating malaria
Outreach workers have been a pillar of malaria response efforts in Panama. ©WHO
In February, the Ministry of Health issued a health alert on a malaria outbreak and passed a resolution to step up response in the hardest-hit areas.
Ninety percent of the country’s malaria cases occurred in hard-to-reach Indigenous communities. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) provided diagnostic tests and anti-malaria medicine, and local health networks were strengthened with more laboratory professionals, vector technicians, and community collaborators.
The Panama Ministry of Health, in collaboration with PAHO and the Regional Malaria Elimination Initiative, trained people from indigenous communities to carry out malaria diagnosis and treatment. The Inter-American Development Bank and the Clinton Health Access Initiative also supported the training.
“Community collaborators are a fundamental part of Panama’s malaria elimination strategy because they are immersed in the community, speak the language, are trusted and can empathize with the local people,” said Gloria Henao, International Consultant working on Malaria at PAHO.
Major climate resilience project launches inthe Lao People's Democratic Republic
The Green Climate Fund’s contribution will finance health-systems strengthening in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. © WHO/Enric Catala
In November, the Green Climate Fund committed US$ 28.2 million to strengthen health systems in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, where effects of climate change are raising children’s risk of dengue fever, diarrhoeal disease, and malnutrition.
This is the Green Climate Fund’s first project to deal with health systems, with the work to be carried out by the government in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Save the Children and WHO. The project will involve 100 health facilities and 250 communities and aims to improve health services for a quarter of the country’s population.
Also see:
WHO, EU and Lao PDR celebrate health sector progress
Lao PDR receives 151 200 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the United States of America
WHO unveils framework for climate-resistant and low-carbon health systems
Sweden boosts its support for sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa
Sweden is investing to improve sexual and reproductive health in East and Southern Africa. ©WHO
In June, Sweden announced an investment of US$ 42 million to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights in East and Southern Africa.
The investment, part of the 2gether 4 SRHR Program, will be used to reduce maternal mortality, gender-based violence, HIV and sexually-transmitted infections, and fill an unmet need for contraceptives. The funding is being made available through Sweden’s Strategy for SRHR in Africa 2022-2026 and will bolster efforts by four United Nations agencies - UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO.
In six of the 12 countries supported by the 2gether 4 SRHR Program, women accessing comprehensive abortion-care services in accordance with the laws of their country were more likely to be tested for HIV, screened for sexually- transmitted infections, and receive information, counselling and contraceptives.
Progress in these regions is challenged by structural, social and health system barriers. Restrictive laws, policies and traditional and cultural practices give rise to stigma and discrimination, which limit people’s ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights.
Côte d’Ivoire religious groups get support to enhance mental health care
A health worker from the CAMPPSY project in Bouaké, Africa region, providing essential mental health care in prayer camps, where many individuals seek help. ©WHO
This year, Cote d’Ivoire piloted the CAMPPSY (Psychological Camp) project in collaboration with the Mindful Change Foundation through the National Mental Health Programme to provide appropriate mental health care in prayer camps where many people seek help.
The project deploys mental health professionals to provide quality care and uphold the rights of people with mental illness.
Côte d’Ivoire has fewer than 100 mental health specialists, including psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses and midwives, for a country of nearly 30 million people. The WHO African Region has a severe shortage of mental health workers, with one professional for every 100 000 people.
Parliamentarians empowering global health: IPU-WHO collaboration
Rebecca brings her child Mercy to a community health service event for parents and children in Gyabankrom, Ghana. ©WHO
This autumn marked the end of a successful five-year partnership between WHO and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to mobilize parliaments to support universal health coverage. The alliance has focused on integrating global health security into IPU's health initiatives and fortifying parliamentary capabilities in health promotion, with a focus on women's, children's, and adolescent's health.
A new chapter awaits with the anticipated signing of a new five-year memorandum of understanding in March 2024 at the 148th IPU Assembly.
Also see:
WHO’s parliamentary engagement
WHO at Inter-Parliamentary Union Assemblies
Third mayors dialogue promotes urban governance for health and well-being
City representatives from around the world meet with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva. ©WHO
Mayors and representatives from seven cities around the world traveled to Switzerland in November to study city-led initiatives.
Participants in the 3rd Mayors Dialogue visited Bern, Lausanne and Geneva during the three-day programme, a forum for city officials to share concerns, experiences, and new ideas for developing healthier cities.
Visitors learned about promoting the use of bicycles in Bern, urban planning in Lausanne, healthy eating in schools in Geneva, and tools for better living in Vernier (a municipality in the Canton of Geneva).
“Having a global network of city leaders such as this is a powerful way to ensure global agendas are relevant to local realities and vice-versa,” said Dr Ailan Li, Assistant Director-General for Universal Health Coverage, Healthier Populations at WHO.
The Mayors Dialogue was part of the WHO global initiative on urban governance for health and well-being supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
KSrelief and WHO unite to increase access to lifesaving medical oxygen in Somalia
At the project signing: KSrelief Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programmes H.E. Eng. Ahmed Albaiz and WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari. ©WHO
The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) and WHO signed an agreement in February aimed at reducing childhood pneumonia by increasing access to medical oxygen in fragile humanitarian settings in Somalia.
A child born in Somalia today is 16.5 times more likely to die before the age of 5 than a child from any other country. Many of these deaths are caused by pneumonia and diarrheal disease. Somalia is mired in one of the worst droughts in recent history. Nearly 8 million people have been affected, including more than one million who have left their homes in search of food, water and health care.
Also see:
FIND supports WHO’s work to provide essential health care to marginalized people in Somalia
WHO thanks its Member States and all other contributors for their vital support to the Organization’s work.
We extend special thanks to donors who, in the 2022-23 biennium, have provided fully flexible contributions to the Core Voluntary Contributions Account (CVCA). These donors, (listed in order of the size of their contributions) are the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Ireland, Switzerland, France, the Estate of Rita Susan Cooper and the Estate of Jerry Lyle Baber.
The WHO Portal Budget provides details about the CVCA contributions.
WHO extends its gratitude to all the governments, organizations, and individuals who have contributed to the Organization's efforts, with special appreciation for those who provide fully flexible contributions to maintain a strong, independent WHO.