The Work of the World Health Organization in the African Region: Report of the Regional Director, 1 July 2019–30 June 2020
This annual report of WHO’s work between July 2019 and June 2020, was finalized four months after the COVID-19 pandemic first arrived in the WHO African Region. As we publish this report on 10 August 2020, there are more than 892 000 reported cases in the Region and 16 600 people have sadly lost their lives. This pandemic is taking a tremendous toll on individuals, societies and economies in the Region and globally, and we must be prepared for the long battle ahead.
In every phase of the response, and in every community, it is imperative that public health measures are in place to find, test, isolate and care for people with COVID-19, and to trace and quarantine their contacts. As we have seen in the response to HIV/AIDS, Ebola, polio and other health issues, empowered and enabled communities are central to preventing the spread of infectious diseases.
This pandemic confirms once again, that preparedness is a sound investment in saving lives and mitigating the socioeconomic impacts of external shocks and threats. Resilient health systems are the
foundations for better health: even as we fight COVID-19, access to essential services, such as immunization, safe deliveries and care for acute and long-term illness must be assured.
As we find safer ways of working, we have had to adjust activities, reprogramme and reprioritize our work. In doing so, we are guided by value-for-money principles and actions that will make a lasting difference.
Our celebration of the certification of regional eradication of wild poliovirus has been postponed to 25 August 2020, and we have included a special section in this report, highlighting our collective work in this important area.
Finally, this is the first report in my second term as WHO Regional Director for Africa. I would like to sincerely thank our Member States for the trust placed in me, to lead the Organization’s work in the Region for a further five years.
Making good health a reality for all people in Africa is a collective effort of Member States, partners, communities, and colleagues. Now more than ever, I would like to thank everyone for their support, in working day and night to save lives, promote health and serve the vulnerable.
