Working together to address Africa’s health challenges and to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs)

Moderated by Mr. Balthasar Staehelin, Personal Envoy of the ICRC President to China and Head of the Regional Delegation for East Asia, this session was joined by esteemed speakers including Dr. Dereje Duguma Gemeda, State Minister for Health Services and Program Wing of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Dr. Gan Ge, Deputy Director of China National Health Development Research Center, Ms. Amakobe Sande, UNICEF Representative to China, Mr. Danilo Türk, former President of Slovenia, Dr. Qi Xiaopeng, Director of Center for Global Public Health of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), and Dr. Zhou Taidong, Vice Dean of Center for International Knowledge on Development (CIKD) for in-depth discussions regarding strengthening healthcare infrastructure in vulnerable communities in Africa, capacity building, improving outcome evaluation, and the building of an equitable and transparent aid system.

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)#3, one of the 17 SDGs of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. Through innovative solutions, community resilience, and international cooperation, many African nations have achieved significant progress in improving health indicators, said Staehelin. 

“However, due to fragmented health systems, frequent natural disasters and armed conflicts, and persistent socioeconomic problems, Africa’s path to achieving the SDG#3 faces headwinds.”