SPEECH BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE WEST AFRICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE CROSS-BORDER MEETING ON EPIDEMIC-PRONE DISEASES INCLUDING MALARIA AND NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

SPEECH BY THE

DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE WEST AFRICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION

AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE CROSS-BORDER MEETING ON EPIDEMIC-PRONE DISEASES INCLUDING MALARIA AND NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

Monrovia, December 14, 2016

                                                             

• All protocols observed

During the three days of intense work, rich in sharing experiences, I would like to thank participants for their availability and the seriousness demonstrated.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me underline the particularity of this meeting which has been extended from 3 to 7 countries with the hope that we can cover all the countries in the next edition.

I am particularly happy to note that the objectives and expected results of this meeting have been achieved.

I would like to urge all countries to take ownership of the recommendations from this meeting and to implement them in order to make cross-border areas safer and serve as a means of rapprochement and all-round cooperation in which the movement of people and goods would be a reality.

With this in mind, I can reassure you that WAHO, in line with its mandate to contribute to regional health integration, works for the development of cross-border activities and makes the "One Health" approach one of the strategies to contribute to finding adequate responses to health problems in the ECOWAS region.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Allow me to reiterate my sincere thanks to:

• the World Bank Group for its support to WAHO
• the World Health Organization for agreeing to co-organize this activity with WAHO;
• the International Organization for Migration for all the efforts made to improve the health status of the people of the ECOWAS area and for its involvement in the preparation and holding of this meeting;
• the West African Economic and Monetary Union for its technical and financial support for the meeting;
• USAID for agreeing to co-finance this activity.

I would also like to use this opportunity to pay a well-deserved tribute to the Liberian Minister of Health and all the members of the local organizing committee for the important work being done in such a short time to ensure the success of this workshop.

I cannot end without thanking the staff of the Golden Gate Hotel, the hostesses, the members of the Secretariat and the interpreters who contributed to the success of this meeting.

Finally, I wish everyone a safe journey back home.

Thank you for your kind attention