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The purpose of this document is to outline the directions
and priority areas that the World Health Organization (WHO) will focus on
during 2008-2011. As a mediumterm strategy, the WHO
Myanmar Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) is designed to cover four years,
from 2008 to 2011. The CCS will provide clear guidance for collaboration
among WHO and its partners working for health in Myanmar.
While the Eleventh General Programme
of Work 2006-2015 sets out the broad directions for the work of WHO, the Medium-term Strategic Plan of 2008-2013 defines
the specific priorities of the Organization. The Myanmar CCS not only
reflects organization-wide priorities of WHO but
also national health priorities, since all the key stakeholders have actively
involved in its development. As was the case for previous CCS (2002-2005),
the new CCS, even at its draft stage, has served as a framework for WHO
collaborative workplans for the 2008-2009 biennium.
Myanmar
is one of the developing nations demonstrating strong efforts to undertake
the challenges of multiple health problems even with limited resources. WHO
has been providing technical support to the Government through the Ministry
of Health (MoH) as part of its normative function. In addition, the WHO Country Office for Myanmar is
leading resource mobilization as well as facilitating fund flow mechanisms to
support health activities in the country. Because external assistance to
health sector is a major source of funding, it is a unique and important role
for WHO to play between the Government of Myanmar
and interested donors that have restrictions on providing direct financial
support.
With support from bilateral agencies, donors and WHO, the
country has made considerable progress in promoting and implementing health programmes. Positive trends have reflected the successes
achieved in immunizations, the DOTS programme for
tuberculosis (directly observed treatment, short-course), malaria, HIV/AIDS,
avian and human pandemic influenza preparedness and many other areas. The
2008-2011 CCS has described the WHO-MoH
collaborative work plan in that line, and will continue its role in providing
direction.
It is my pleasure to present this document on WHO’s
strategic agenda to the local and the international development partners who
are contributing to the health and well-being of the people of Myanmar. We
hope that this document will be useful to mobilize and streamline more
support for activities related to the health sector. The CCS 2008-2011 will
also serve as the main reference for developing the health chapter in the
Myanmar UN Strategic Framework and as guidelines to achieve the health
objectives of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. This CCS will ensure the continuation of
what has been achieved in the previous bienniums
and in order to work more efficiently it will focus on (i)
improving the performance of the health system; (ii) bringing down the burden
of disease; and (iii) improving health conditions for mothers, children and
adolescents as a priority.
WHO will remain committed to continuing its overall
assistance and to assisting the country’s efforts to improve health status of
the people of Myanmar.
Adik Wibowo
WHO Representative to Myanmar
January 2008 Yangon
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