Luanda, 20 November 2012 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated the Health Promotion (HP) strategy to address the growing burden of preventable public health conditions in the WHO African Region. 

The updated strategy, which covers a period of 10 years, is being discussed at the Sixty-second ses-sion of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa which is taking place from 19-23 November in Luanda, Angola. The Strategy highlights specific roles and responsibilities for Member States, WHO and other partners for an effective response.
    
“This (new) strategy aims to scale up health promotion interventions in order to contribute to reducing the leading causes of preventable deaths, disabilities and major illnesses from communicable and non-communicable diseases, violence and injuries, maternal and child health conditions, and new and re-emerging threats to health in the African Region“, says WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo.

The document lists five principles intended to guide the implementation of identified priority interventions. These principles are:  ownership of programmes by individuals and communities (through their participation in all activities); equity in health (to ensure access, availability and affordability of health promotion services for all); human rights and gender equity (to protect vulnerable groups); intersectoral collaboration and coordination of various players to promote health; and mutual accountability among national governments, service providers, funding agencies and intended beneficiaries.

The strategy proposes seven priority actions to address priority public health conditions. These include strengthening the stewardship role of the ministry of health; strengthening national technical and institutional capacity for health promotion; sustaining institutional capacity for health promotion at national, regional and local levels; and gathering and disseminating evidence on best practice and effective health promotion approaches.

Other interventions are: establishing sustainable mechanisms for innovative financing of health promotion to ensure adequate funding of interventions across programmes; strengthening functional partnership, alliances and networks,  and strengthening community capacity for health promotion by ensuring participation by all  at various stages -- from programme design and planning, to implementation and evaluation of outcomes. 

The updated Health Promotion strategy developed by the WHO Regional Office for Africa, was adopted by the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in 2001. 
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For more information, please contact:
 
Dr David Munodawafa, munodawafad [at] afro.who.int  ; tel: +47-241-39476
Samuel T. Ajibola, ajibolas [at] afro.who.int ; tel: +47-241-39378-
C. Boakye-Agyemang  boakyec [at] afro.who.int; tel: +472 413 9420; tel  + 244 943801810

Health Promotion - Strategy for the African Region