EAC Secretary General calls for strong cooperation in Public Health
The EAC Secretary General Amb. Dr Richard Sezibera participated at the 27th Crans Montana Forum held in Dakhla, Morocco under the high patronage of his Majesty, the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI.
The four-day Forum, which concluded yesterday, was officially opened by the King of Morocco who called out to Africa to regain its right both in history and geography to become a key partner in international cooperation mechanisms and driver of progress in cooperation.
King Mohammed VI stressed the need to build south-south cooperation that is based on potential, skills and expertise of all stakeholders that will result in a homogeneous strategic vision designed to promote the development of states and meet the needs of the African population. “South-south cooperation seeks to implement concrete programs in targeted areas to achieve measurable outcomes in terms of growth and well-being of the population in economic, social, cultural and environmental domains”, said the King.
Dr. Sezibera while making his presentation on Public Health, a common issue for all, discussed the need for Africa to learn from the Ebola crisis; that managing epidemics requires a strong regional cooperation and building interconnected laboratories. The Secretary General further emphasized that the lessons learned from the Ebola epidemic demonstrated that health security is not an issue to be left purely to health workers.
“Investment in health systems, regional cooperation, building one-stop health centers, and a multi sectoral approach will be key drivers of success in managing emerging epidemics”, said Dr. Sezibera.
Rev. Jesse Jackson a renowned civil rights activist from USA led the forum in awarding over 40 ‘New Leaders for Tomorrow’; men and women younger than 42 years of age who have demonstrated extraordinary potential in leadership through professional success and community services in their home countries. The forum was attended by over 1,000 foreign dignitaries, drawn from over 130 countries worldwide, who discussed matters pertaining to the environment, energy, food security, and ethics in governance, among others that affect Africa.