- Dear Directors;
- The WHO Representative in Botswana;
- The WHO Representative, Democratic Republic of the Congo;
- Chairperson of the Staff Association;
- Mr. Maurice Mabanza, Chair of the Congolese Association of former United Nations employees;
- Dear staff members of the WHO African Region and Headquarters;
- Dear former UN employees in Congo,
My work in the WHO African Region comes to an end as this staff general assembly holds. I will actually end my second term and retire from WHO at the end of January 2015, during the 136th session of the Executive Board.
Prior to the Executive Board session, I will be briefing the new Regional Director, Dr. Moeti, who was elected by the 64th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, and will be officially appointed by the Executive Board.
After 26 years of service in various capacities, I have learnt a lot and seen public health history in Africa evolve a great deal. At the time of taking office, the burden of disease was extremely high, and the economic and financial crisis was taking a cruel toll in our Region, impacting negatively on all social sectors, including health. Disease burden, especially with regard to HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, was extremely high and the rate of maternal and infant mortality was unacceptable.
The persistence of disease burden and public health threats still exerts enormous pressure on national health systems. This is beyond imagination, and so calls for creativity, inclusive dialogue, international solidarity and enlightened leadership of African governments in building the future.
In my inaugural speech on 1 February 2005, I made you aware of the broad outlines of my action, focusing basically on:
1. Capacity to respond to country needs for better health outcomes;
2. Improving effectiveness of WHO support to countries;
3. Strengthening our management role in health.
I committed myself to "improving our teamwork, and increasing our value in other people’s view; and that no task, no project will be too big for us." Since 2005, together with other international partners and, in support of Member States of the Region, we have contributed to significant achievements in public health in Africa.
My sincere gratitude goes to all directors, WHO Representatives, coordinators of Intercountry Teams and the entire WHO staff in the African Region, who have collaborated with me by their devotion to duty and competence in different spheres: strategic, technical and even operational in some cases. I greatly appreciated your ability, individually, to adapt to different situations and contingencies of work, even in difficult and risky situations.
I acknowledge the spirit of responsibility and discipline of the vast majority of personnel. I had trust in you, while applying my decentralized management style, and you did not disappoint me. I particularly enjoyed the loyalty and openness of those who made me know their points of view, even by sending me divergent and opposing views; because these allowed me to deepen reflection and better perceive problems to consider appropriate solutions. Thank you all for your insightful advice. You were for me a source of inspiration, regardless of your grades and duties.
Regarding achievements, I do not need to go into details because you are partakers of the results WHO recorded in this Region. Nevertheless, I would like to highlight specific accomplishments in management and administration, and in the technical domain.
Regional level
- The security situation of the country at the time forced us to prioritize security in line with United Nations standards. In this direction, we undertook to ensure continuous power supply and install a video surveillance system; also, we scaled up the physical protection of our facilities.
- We improved technology and communication facilities.
- Documentation services were restructured, including establishment of an online library.
- Strategic Health Operation Centres (SHOC rooms) were set up in 2013 at the Regional Office and in the 3 ISTs.
- In 2005, the African Observatory of Human Resources for Health was established in the Regional Office.
- The African Health Observatory (AHO) was established in 2010 and this made for ease of production of technical and scientific reports, as well as publications of the Regional Office and its technical staff.
- Sports facilities for staff have been enlarged and modernized.
- The cafeteria was refurbished and fitted with new equipment.
- A modern clinic for staff members and their dependents was inaugurated this morning.
- Today, we have a paved, embellished, safe and comfortable compound, which makes working and living with our families pleasant.
Delegation of authority to Cluster Directors, WHO Country Representatives and Coordinators of Intercountry Support Teams has been scaled up, which has enabled sharing of decision-making power with colleagues in positions of responsibility. As you may know, this has had a positive impact in terms of autonomy and motivation.
I put in place a Compliance Team to help me monitor the enforcement of administrative and financial regulations of the Organization. This has enabled us to prevent issues raised by audits, and has made the African Region more accountable in relation to WHO Governing Bodies and financial partners.
Efforts have been made to employ key staff, despite the international financial crisis the Organization went through. The Staff Excellence Award and Team Awards were introduced in 2008 to recognize outstanding performance and boost motivation. The proportion of staff in the African Region on long-term contracts increased from 35% in 2006 to 92% in 2014, a situation which certainly contributed to high productivity and stability of employment.
Intercountry Teams’ level
Decentralization of the Regional Office, by creating three Intercountry Support Teams (IST), has made technical support to countries more effective and improved WHO synergy with regional economic communities and other decentralized agencies of cooperation. I would like to thank, in light of this, the governments of Burkina Faso, Gabon and Zimbabwe who generously provided us with buildings and other logistical and diplomatic facilities for putting these teams in place.
Country level
Quality exigencies in selecting and supervising WRs, and the consolidation of WHO Country Teams have significantly enhanced WHO image, visibility and performance in all countries of the Region.
WHO Representatives have been very active and effective in performing essential functions of WHO and in mobilizing additional resources. The country cooperation strategy documents have been updated in the context of WHO general programmes of work.
Definitely, these advances in WHO structures have improved technical cooperation with countries, as far as public health is concerned. Details of this assertion may be found in the 2014 report on health in Africa and in my 10-year report to the 64th session of the Regional Committee. Of course, much remains to be done but we have done our best to arrive at the current results of our Organization in Africa.
I would now like to turn to WHO Governing Bodies (World Health Assembly, Executive Board and Regional Committee) and acknowledge the quality of discussions that inspired and guided us in our health development work in Africa.
While deriving some pride and satisfaction from the progress and successes chalked in the fight against disease in Africa, we must not lose sight of the main challenges facing us:
- Weak health systems are still a limiting factor with respect to health care coverage and quality, and hinder progress towards universal health coverage.
- The Ebola virus epidemic that severely hit our Region last year, with its attendant misery, frustration and negative impact, socially and economically, shows that much remains to be done to strengthen community-based health systems.
I would like to acknowledge and recognize once again the work of WHO staff in countries affected by the Ebola epidemic, and all other WHO staff members, who were willing to be part of the WHO operational response against this epidemic. Some are here with us; to all of them I would like to express admiration, respect and deep gratitude. I would also like to pay tribute to all national and international health workers who have lost their lives in the fight against this deadly Ebola virus epidemic.
My gratitude goes also to the Staff Association, and I recall here chairpersons who served during my tenure: Mr P. Matsiona, Mr J. TCHICAYA and current Chair Ms B. Fogué. I also thank the immediate past mediator, Dr. Therese Agossou of Benin and the incumbent, Dr. Sanou, for their efficient work during the trying moments of our Organization, when staff contract conditions were affected.
At this time that I am leaving the Organization, where I spent 26 years of my professional life, I would like to express my appreciation for the opportunity given to me to serve the World Health Organization and Africa. I am leaving at a turning point of transition between the Millennium Development Goals and start-up to Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations in the post-2015 agenda. The current context is also marked by WHO reform, which is in progress, and economic reforms in Africa, which should offer better opportunities to strengthen national health systems.
Despite the Ebola virus epidemic, which I hope will soon be over, this transition is an opportunity to implement new ideas and initiatives for better health and sustainable development in Africa.
Allow me, if you will, to cast my mind back and thank former Regional Directors that I personally knew: The late Dr Alfred Comlan Quenum, for putting me in contact with public health; Dr Gottlieb Lobe Monekesso, for recruiting me at WHO and directing me into research; and Dr. Ebrahim Malick Samba, for his example in terms of effective and transparent management. I learnt a lot from these three illustrious figures in the history of public health in Africa. Let us honour the memory of all our colleagues, who have worked in the Regional Office and other WHO programmes and offices in the Region, and built the past on which we live today. However, the important thing is to be optimistic for the future. I urge you, therefore, to see beyond reforms and rather look at all that can unite you.
Allow me to pause and acknowledge members of the Congolese Association of Former United Nations Employees, who are in our midst today, and say that the Regional Office will, to the extent possible, make efforts to support their activities.
Dear staff members, continue to adapt to changes taking place in our Organization at all levels. Follow directions of the Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, and adhere to the vision of the new WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Tshidi Moeti. Africa has many health challenges and needs a reinforced WHO to support efforts of African governments and other health development partners.
I thank the Director-General of WHO, Dr Margaret Chan, and WHO Representatives in the African Region who have supported me in managing the overall work programme of WHO in the Region.
I wish you all good luck for continuation of the work at hand, and all the best for you, your families, social and professional lives. We will certainly meet in our continual quest for the well-being, social and health development of the African people and the world.
I once again congratulate my successor, Dr. Tsidi Moeti, and wish her success in her noble and historic task of spearheading future affairs of the World Health Organization in the African Region.
May every baby, child, adolescent, adult and elderly of our beautiful Africa have access to health care and better quality of life, and flourish in an environment of sustainable development.
Finally, I thank GOD for giving me this great opportunity to serve humanity.
Happy New Year 2015 and good luck to you all! Thank you.