Afrigather Accra, 10 November 2023 – African lawmakers gathering for the continent’s first-ever parliamentary assembly on well being safety at present agreed to help actions for stronger well being techniques to allow nations successfully forestall, put together and reply to public well being threats.
Collectively convened by World Well being Group (WHO) and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the 8–10 November 2023 assembly in Accra, Ghana, aimed to boost parliamentary consciousness of the continued negotiations in the direction of the first-ever international Pandemic Accord to strengthen pandemic prevention, in addition to amendments to the Worldwide Well being Laws in response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lawmakers voiced help for a standard African place on the continued negotiations of the important thing international devices to manipulate well being safety. The assembly additionally mentioned the essential position of parliamentarians in supporting measures for resilient well being techniques that present satisfactory and high quality companies, whereas making certain efficient nationwide response to well being emergencies.
“In these essential instances, our roles as parliamentarians are extra essential than ever in steering our nations in the direction of well being safety and resilience,” stated Hon Alban Kingsford Suman Bagbin, Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana.
Parliamentarians, by way of their core capabilities of law-making, budgeting, and oversight, in addition to their mandates to signify constituencies, can foster multisectoral motion throughout authorities, interact in worldwide partnerships, and play a essential position in advancing not solely international well being safety, but additionally common well being protection and attaining well being below the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Improvement.
“We parliamentarians have a task in selling well being and well being fairness. We should try to bridge inequities in entry to well being care throughout the populations we serve. Our position in laws, funds allocation, oversight and ratification of worldwide agreements supplies the impetus for us to affect and prioritize well being safety,” stated Hon Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Ghana’s Minister for Well being.
The political declarations and outcomes of the convention will complement two international processes – the Inter-governmental Negotiation Physique to determine the Pandemic Accord and the Working Group on the amendments of the legally binding Worldwide Well being Laws – in a standard agenda to handle the gaps witnessed in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Parliaments and parliamentarians have a decisive position in making certain these political declarations on common well being protection and pandemic preparedness and response are translated into motion by way of varied duties, from law-making and oversight to budgetary allocation and citizen illustration,” stated Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
By bringing collectively the legislators from throughout the continent, the Parliamentary Excessive-level Convention goals to strengthen multisectoral coordination for well being emergency preparedness to contribute to the imaginative and prescient of a strengthened international well being structure.
“Higher preparedness requires laws and funding throughout plenty of sectors past well being; sturdy and resilient well being techniques; coordination mechanisms on the nationwide degree; regional and international info sharing and cooperation,” stated Mr Martin Chungong, the IPU Secretary Basic.
The convention additionally comes on the again of the WHO African regional well being safety and emergencies technique 2023-2030, which was endorsed by the Regional Committee in Lomé, Togo and reaffirmed the significance of efficient laws framework to strengthen preparedness capacities of nations.
