Dr Ren Minghui, government and UN partners,
WHO colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning!
First of all, I would like to thank all of you for joining us today for this consultation on the WHO-China Country Cooperation Strategy for 2013-2015.
The Country Cooperation Strategy, or CCS, is a medium-term strategic vision for WHO's cooperation with a given Member State in support of the country’s national health policies, strategies and plans.
The World Health Organization and the Government of the People’s Republic of China have been working together to improve the health of people throughout China for many decades.
The first CCS for China covered the period 2004-2008, and was later updated for 2008-2013 and signed jointly by WHO and the Government of China. Throughout the years, with a common vision of priority health areas, cooperation between WHO and China has been mutually beneficial.
In response to China's rapidly changing social, economic, and health context, and bring the CCS time frame into conformity with China’s Twelfth Five-Year Plan for Health Development and the UN Development Assistant Framework, or UNDAF, this bridging CCS is developed to cover the time period from 2013 to 2015.
A new CCS, building on this one, will then be prepared for the next 5-year period, from 2016-2020, to further update priorities and align with China's next Five-Year Plan for Health Development.
This bridging CCS 2013-2015 has been developed using WHO policy, and international and national framework; and China's national plans and health challenges.
Formulation of this bridging CCS began with a country self-assessment and with strategic discussions in WHO internally, followed by a review of work under current CCS, and a consultative process involving WHO, the Ministry of Health, State Food and Drug Administration, and other government agencies, as well as UN agencies, and other multilateral and bilateral health partners.
These exercises and analyses provided the information used for developing the strategic priority agenda.
The assessment has reviewed strengths and weaknesses in health development in China, based on reported data and on WHO-supported reviews. The lessons learned demonstrate also the potential for China to make regional and international contributions in health.
Analysis of national priorities, the country context, and health challenges and opportunities, have led to four strategic priorities identified for WHO collaboration with China for 2013-2015:
- First, strengthen health systems towards universal health coverage.
- Second, reduce morbidity and mortality from major diseases of public health importance and from risks to health security.
- Third, reduce inequities in health in the western region of China through sub-national public health action; and
- Fourth, contribute to strengthening global health through supporting the collaboration of China in the global health arena.
The first two of these, on health systems, and on targeted disease control and prevention, represent a tighter focus on priority areas of traditional WHO work, where we hope to make the most substantial contribution.
The 3rd and 4th strategic priorities are newer approaches for WHO in China – to focus attention in areas of greater need at subnational level through the Western Area Health Initiative, and to support China's growing role in global health.
Now, the bridging CCS consultation has entered its final stage. Your active participation in discussions and valuable inputs today will contribute to the final bridging CCS 2013-2015.
With identified strategic priorities, focus areas, and strategic approaches, WHO and China cooperation aims to strengthen the national health care system to meet the needs of its people. It aims to ensure that all Chinese citizens have access to essential health care, especially the most disadvantaged and those living in rural and remote areas.
Success depends on linking the efforts of government agencies, institutions, health organizations, and public health professionals, in joint and coordinated efforts to reduce the burden of disease and disability.
Many thanks to you all who have made this possible.
I wish this consultation a great success and look forward to the discussions ahead.
Thank you.