FAO in Ethiopia

Ethiopia launches National Action Plan for Health Security to improve health, reduce emerging diseases

One Health stakeholders showing their commitment for the successful realization of the NAHPS. ©FAO
15/04/2019

15 March 2019, Addis Ababa - Ethiopia launched a five-year (2019-2023) National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) on 15 March 2019 at the United Nations Conference Center in attendance of Deputy Prime Minister, H.E. Demeke Mekonnen; key government One Health sectors; donors; UN Agencies; and other development partners attended the event.   

Having a strong health security capacity is considered as the first line of defense against public health threats.  The launching of the action plan indicates the country is making significant progress in the implementation of the International Health Regulation core capacities. 

Stressing the fact that health security and health system towards universal coverage are very closely related, H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, acknowledged the joint effort of all health security stakeholders to build such a platform that ensures community resilience for public health threats.  

Led by the World Health Organization under the ownership of the Government of Ethiopia, the process of the NAPHS preparation, costing, reviewing and endorsement of NAPHS involved active participation of all One Health stakeholders including FAO and the National One Health Steering Committee.  FAO Ethiopia has contributed technically and played a key role in mobilizing and engaging of key sectors and the National One Health Steering Committee. 

On behalf of Fatouma Seid, FAO Representative to Ethiopia, Jacopo Damelio, FAO Ethiopia Program Officer, congratulated Ethiopia for being the fourth African country to develop its costed NAPHS and emphasized the significance of multi-sectoral collaboration to ensure optimal health for people, animals and the environment. 

“By working together under the NAPHS framework, I am confident that we will not only strengthen the country’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to emerging and re-emerging infectious threats in a timely manner, but also improve the livelihoods of the people and the national economy,” he stressed. He further underlined on the dependence of the success of NAPHS on the implementation of the priority actions. Damelio further stressed that FAO is committed to upholding the NAPHS and support its implementation through the Global Health Security Agenda framework. 

It requires an estimated budget of about 370 million USD to implement the action plan for the period of 2019 to 2023.   

Contact:

Elias Walelign (DVM, MVPH)

National One Health Focal Point and MERS-CoV Project Coordinator

Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD)

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Email: [email protected]

Tel. Office: +251 11 647 8888 Ext 234 (Office)

 

Feleseta Kassaye Woldtsadique

Risk Communication and One Health Outreach Coordinator

Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD)

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Email: [email protected]

Tel. Office: +251 11 647 8888 Ext 238