Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General and head of the Social Affairs Sector, stated that the General Secretariat (Social Affairs Sector - Department of Health and Humanitarian Aid, Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Health Ministers) will hold a workshop on monitoring the implementation of the Multi-Sectoral Arab Strategy for Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health 2019-2030. The workshop is taking place on 20-21 May in Cairo, in coordination with the United Nations Population Fund, the Regional Office for Arab States in Cairo.
The workshop is part of the ongoing cooperation between the General Secretariat and the United Nations Population Fund, Regional Office for Arab States in Cairo, and the activation of the cooperation plan signed between the two parties on 23 January 2024.
The Ambassador stressed that the strategy aligns with the objectives of the League of Arab States, which, through its health-focused mechanisms represented by the Council of Arab Health Ministers and its Executive Office, places great importance on achieving health security for Arab citizens. This is done by strengthening health systems and improving the quality of health services to the highest possible standards in accordance with human rights principles to ensure the highest attainable level of health. This is also in line with the third goal of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, which aims to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.”
Ambassador Dr. Abu Ghazaleh indicated that the Council of Arab Health Ministers, during its 51st ordinary session held on 28 February 2019 at the General Secretariat headquarters, adopted the Multi-Sectoral Arab Strategy for Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health 2019-2030. The plan serves as a reference framework for each country to develop its national plan, tailored to its unique conditions, capabilities, and challenges. She highlighted the key components of this strategy, which include: legislation and policies, supporting and strengthening the health system, developing/reviewing and updating the basic health services package, building and developing health human resources, enhancing health information systems, improving the health system’s response, combating harmful practices and violence, enhancing the role of civil society organisations, and promoting partnership, cooperation, and integration across various sectors.
