Emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate-related health threats, demographic shifts, noncommunicable diseases, shrinking fiscal space and rapidly evolving technologies are reshaping health systems around the world. In this increasingly complex environment, intuition, tradition and experience alone are no longer enough.
The countries making the greatest progress are those that transform knowledge into action and evidence into results. That is why evidence-informed decision-making is a cornerstone of the World Health Organization's Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW14), which recognizes that stronger health outcomes depend not only on effective interventions but also on health systems that continuously generate, interpret, share and apply evidence.
Simply put, health systems must become learning systems—drawing on routine data, scientific research, implementation experience and community perspectives to improve policies and health outcomes.
Working with national and international partners, Ethiopia is strengthening the use of evidence to guide health policies, investments and programmes. This commitment took center stage during the inaugural Evidence-Informed Decision-Making (EIDM) Summit 2026, convened by the Ministry of Health's Policy, Strategy and Research Lead Executive Office (PSR-LEO) in collaboration with WHO and partners from 23–25 June 2026 at the Adwa Memorial Museum in Addis Ababa.
The summit brought together senior government leaders, policymakers, researchers, academics and development partners to advance a shared goal: making evidence a routine part of policymaking, planning and programme implementation.
The event was officially opened by H.E. Dr. Mekdes Daba, Minister of Health, in the presence of State Ministers H.E. Dr. Dereje Duguma and H.E. Ms. Frehiwot Abebe, regional health bureau leaders, representatives from WHO, the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR), the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences, the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, the Armauer Hansen Research Institute, universities and development partners.
Delivering the opening remarks, Dr. Mekdes called for evidence and continuous learning to become routine features of leadership, linking evidence-informed decision-making to the revised National Health Policy, digital transformation, health security and stronger accountability.
"A strong health system is not built by good intentions alone. It is built by decisions," the Minister emphasized.
In his keynote address, Professor Francis Kasolo, WHO Representative to Ethiopia, the African Union and UNECA, underscored the importance of science, leadership and collaboration in achieving better health outcomes.
"Nations achieve extraordinary outcomes when vision, knowledge, leadership and collective action come together behind a common purpose," he said.
Calling for a culture in which evidence systematically informs policies, programmes and investments, Professor Kasolo stressed that "the importance of evidence cannot be overstated." He highlighted Ethiopia's progress in strengthening research governance, institutionalizing evidence-to-policy processes, establishing national research priorities, improving health information systems, advancing digital transformation and expanding implementation research.
Throughout the three-day summit, participants explored key priorities for strengthening evidence-informed decision-making, including health security and emergency preparedness, artificial intelligence, knowledge management, financing for research, climate resilience, multisectoral collaboration and evidence-to-policy systems.
A clear message emerged from the discussions: generating evidence is no longer enough. The next challenge is ensuring that evidence consistently informs decisions at every level of the health system.
The summit also highlighted Ethiopia's growing institutional capacity to support evidence-informed policymaking. The Ministry of Health has finalized an updated National Health Research Priority Agenda, identifying 610 priority research questions across 12 thematic areas, while advancing a National Health Research Management Guideline and an integrated digital research and policy management system to strengthen research governance, evidence synthesis, knowledge translation and monitoring of research uptake.
WHO reaffirmed its commitment to continue supporting the Ministry of Health, the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences, universities, research institutions and development partners in strengthening Ethiopia's evidence ecosystem and building a learning health system where science consistently informs better decisions.
As the summit concluded, participants shared a common vision: making evidence not the exception, but the standard for every decision that shapes the future of health.
