Remarks at the launch of the WHO Country Cooperation Strategy with Papua New Guinea (2016–2020)

Senior officials and colleagues of the National Department of Health,
Ladies and gentlemen;

Good morning. I am pleased to be with you for the launch of the WHO Country Cooperation Strategy with Papua New Guinea for 2016 to 2020.

This strategy, or CCS, provides the vision for WHO and Papua New Guinea's work together for the next five years. It follows the mid-term review of National Health Plan 2011 to 2020 and lessons learnt from the CCS of 2010 to 2015.

Globally, the Sustainable Development Goals have shifted health development to work more broadly with a range of partners and to ensure equity in health achievements. For Papua New Guinea, while this new agenda is important, we must also continue working on the unfinished agenda of the Millennium Development Goals.

Papua New Guinea faces a critical transition. Decentralization of health services is increasing, providing essential services remains a challenge and health sector financing is facing serious constraints.

In this context, the new CCS is highly strategic: focused on sustainable solutions, strengthening health security and health systems and improving partner coordination.

To make sustainable gains in health, through the CCS we will address tuberculosis, particularly multidrug resistance and HIV. We will also focus on improving immunization coverage and preventing deaths among mothers and newborn babies.

In health systems, we will work on ways to make more human and financial resources available where they are needed most and improving the quality of information for decision-making. More attention will be given to the sub-national level, with a focus to strengthen district health management.

In health security, we will strengthen disaster preparedness and response and continue our collaboration on the Field Epidemiology Training Programme and the International Health Regulations.

The CCS process lays good foundations for improving partner coordination. The Government, international and nongovernment organizations and church health services have all contributed to make the strategy stronger.

From WHO's side, through this CCS, we will also improve how we deliver country support. This means placing the best people in the most demanding jobs, encouraging greater teamwork and ensuring demand-driven backstopping support from WHO's Regional Office and headquarters.

I trust that this CCS will guide us well over the next five years, in continuing our joint work to improve the health and well-being of people in Papua New Guinea.

Thank you.