New York -- United Nations Deputy Secretary General Louise Frechette has called on the international community to help in "addressing the needs of Africa where poverty and health challenges are the most acute."

Launching an international health exhibition organized by the World Health Organization in collaboration with the UN Department of Public Information at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday, Mrs Frechette said: "We (the international community) must provide support to Africa …let this exhibition be an inspiration to us all."

She noted that up to half of Africa's population lived on less than one US dollar a year and that much of the continent was plagued by diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as well as childhood illnesses, water-borne diseases and maternal and perinatal conditions -- all of which constitute obstacles to development in the Region.

Speaking on the occasion, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Ebrahim M. Samba, stated that it was in the interest of all humanity that diseases in Africa be addressed by the international community because health threats to people in any part of the world constituted threats to people in all parts of the world.

On the eve of the exhibition, Dr Samba also made a direct appeal to the international community to join hands with African governments, WHO and other development partners in their efforts to improve the health situation in the Region.

"By this exhibition, we hope to attract the attention and support of the international community, particularly our partners in the North, to help us in Africa accelerate and intensify action in at least two key areas," he said. " First, we need to scale up proven and well-targeted interventions to drastically reduce mortality; and, second, we need to strengthen and increase financing of health systems in order to ensure a large-scale and more sustainable response."

The international health exhibition is the first ever organized by the World Health Organization depicting the relationship between poverty and health in Africa with the aim of securing international support for efforts to improve the health situation in the Region.

Images at the exhibition, captured by the WHO Regional and country offices in Africa, tell the poverty and health story in a way that it has never been told before - from depicting the ravages of communicable and noncommunicable diseases to heroic efforts of African governments, in collaboration with WHO and other development partners, to deal with the challenge.

The ongoing exhibition breaks with traditional photography exhibition formats in that it goes beyond promoting public awareness. It points to concrete solutions and encourages the world community, particularly the rich nations, to join in reducing poverty and promoting health and the general social and economic well being of people in the world's poorest continent.

The exhibition, which runs from 16 to 26 September at the UN General Assembly Visitors' Lobby in New York, is composed of ten thematic sections : Poverty and health, noncommunicable diseases, maternal mortality, Integrated Management of Childhood Illness, Mental Heath, Malaria, tuberculosis, Traditional Medicine , Safe Blood and HIV/AIDS. Compelling photographs capture the plight of the poor in Africa and show what can be achieved using key actions for making health a successful entry point for poverty reduction.

The exhibition is being mounted on the sidelines of discussions on how the UN General Assembly will support the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

The health show window with the theme Poverty and Health: Challenges to Development in Africa is designed as a mobile exhibition which will be mounted at various international fora in the coming months.

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Contact: Mr Sam Ajibola (212) 963-4388 
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Ms Celinda Verano (212) 963-6000