"Arab League": strengthening cooperation with the World Health Organization to fight against noncommunicable diseases

The League of Arab States has affirmed its willingness to strengthen its cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) in the fight against noncommunicable diseases, program and activities included in the memorandum of understanding signed between the General Secretariat of the Arab League and the FAO Regional Office in December 2009.

This appeared in the speech delivered by the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States on Thursday, before the opening session of the 51st Ordinary Session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Health, delivered by Ambassador Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Deputy Secretary General of the Social Affairs Sector at the Arab League.

Ambassador Abu-Ghazaleh said that the Council of Arab Ministers of Health is striving to ensure that all people benefit from health and well-being for all ages. To this end, the Secretariat (Department of Health and Humanitarian Aid) has developed the Arab Multisectoral Strategy on Reproductive Health and the Health of the Mother, Children and Adolescents, with specific objectives. in coordination with Arab Member States and in cooperation with the United Nations Fund. Population.

The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States (Department of Health and Humanitarian Aid) continues its efforts to activate the Arab Strategy to Fight AIDS 2014-2020, adopted by the Council of Arab Ministers of Health in March 2014, in cooperation with Member States and in coordination with the Joint United Nations Program on HIV / AIDS (UNAIDS) and other relevant United Nations organizations and civil society organizations.

The Ambassador underlined the importance of the topics on the agenda of the 51st Session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Health, which was chosen this year under the title "Global Health Coverage", and highlighted the efforts considerable efforts by the Ministries of Health of the Arab Member States to provide health care, prevention,.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Secretariat (Social Affairs Sector) and the United Nations Regional Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for the Middle East and the United Nations Office against drugs and crime. On the prevention of drug abuse, the treatment and management of drug abuse disorders, including HIV / AIDS prevention, on 3 October 2018 at the headquarters of the Secretariat of the League of Arab States, which has been distributed to all ministries of health Member States.

The Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers of Health is using it to strengthen cooperation and coordination with specialized international and regional organizations, including existing cooperation with UNFPA for the implementation of the program. a number of joint programs and activities in the different areas of health: the Arab multisectoral strategy for maternal health, The Technical Secretariat will also update the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Regional Office for Eastern Mediterranean WHO to harmonize with global developments in the field of health and activate the joint activities and programs that will be included in this note. Or the current 2019.

Abu-Ghazaleh said health was the cornerstone of a happy life, noting that the proceedings of this session would contain a presentation of successful and innovative health experiences in Qatar, Palestine and Kuwait, as well as successful essays at the next ordinary session 53, to the other Member States, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Sudan and Sultanate of Oman.

She added that the agenda for this session included a number of important topics on which the Ministers of Health of the Arab countries would intervene to take decisions in favor of joint Arab action in various fields of health. the health.

The Council of Ministers of Health of the Arab States attaches great importance to noncommunicable diseases, which are the most widespread and widespread cancer diseases, which pose a development problem and weigh heavily on the economies and health systems of the countries. Arab countries, in particular the least developed countries and the poorest and most vulnerable groups. .

She pointed out that cancer is the biggest health problem facing the world and is one of the leading causes of death in the world, with an average of one in six deaths worldwide.

The Ambassador also noted that Arab leaders had adopted Decision No. 33 issued at the Third Session of the Arab Summit on Economic and Social Development, held on 21 and 22 January 2013 in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, on the struggle against noncommunicable diseases, The Riyadh Declaration issued by the Council to pay more attention to the problems of noncommunicable diseases, which constitutes a major challenge for the well-being of the society and the development efforts in our countries Arab, as well as to accelerate development and support policies, strategies, programs and action plans related to the social determinants of health, Wei community, and promote international cooperation to address these determinants as a key factor for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals 2030.

She said Arab leaders had adopted the Arab Summit for Economic and Social Development at its fourth session, held in Beirut on January 20, as well as the Regional Initiative for Women's Health in the Arab Region (portfolio rose), in accordance with Conference Resolution No. 61. Mentionned.

This initiative is part of the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and more specifically the third objective, which is to ensure a healthy and prosperous lifestyle for all, at all levels. ages.

She explained that the initiative was aimed at strengthening national capacities to combat breast cancer, including through training of human resources and the preparation of regional guidelines on how to provide primary health care, as well as the need for develop breast cancer registration systems to facilitate access to information. For them

The Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers of Health, in cooperation with the Council's Technical Advisory Committee, is working to define a clear vision of the work and performance trends, noting that the Secretariat Technical Council had pointed out at the sixth meeting of the Advisory Committee some of the obstacles encountered in its work. To the work of the specialized technical committees on the implementation of the decisions of the Council of Arab Ministers of Health, as well as a major failure in the follow-up given by Member States to respond to the correspondence transmitted by the Secretariat and through the permanent delegations of Arab States members of the League of Arab States; T negatively on the completion of the tasks required of the Technical Secretariat integrated accurately and well.

She pointed out that the non-payment by some Member States of their annual contributions and arrears in the budget of the Arab Fund for Health Development limited the work of the Technical Secretariat because of the concern over the issue. 39, aggravation of the budget deficit deficit.

Ambassador Abu-Ghazaleh also thanked the Arab countries that had already paid their contributions to the Fund's budget, as well as the arrears of: Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Morocco and Lebanon, and hoped that the other States Arab members would complete their contributions to the 2019 Fund budget and their arrears.