Health stakeholders sign country compact in Ivory Coast

The Government of Ivory Coast, development partners and civil society organisations (CSOs) have signed a new country compact based around the new health national plan for 2016-2020. 

Ivory Coast became a signatory to the IHP+ global compact in 2012 and since then has worked through a highly participatory process involving all the key health actors in the country to establish a country compact and new national health plan (PNDS). The compact constitutes a useful accountability tool among actors in the health sector, demonstrating their mutual engagement in implementing the PNDS 2016-2000, which is the central strategic framework to guide interventions that will contribute to improve health indicators.

Development partners involved include WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, World Bank, European Union, African Development Bank, USAID, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the Korean International Cooperation Agency. Several civil society organisations have been involved and include international organisations such as l’Agence de médecine preventive (AMP), the Red Cross, CARE, International Rescue Committee, Doctors of the World and Helen Keller International and a range of national health CSOs. 

IHP+ (now UHC2030) has worked with the WHO country office to support the process, help build consensus and draft documents around the compact development. 

Finally in culmination, on 6 July 2017, government representatives, development partners and CSOs gathered to sign the country compact with the ceremony led by Dr Raymonde Goudou Coffie, the Minister of Health. She expressed her thanks to the development partners for their support and engagement with the government to develop and put place the national health strategy. She also noted that the country compact acts as a tool for mutual accountability between the different stakeholders in the health sector.

Dr Jean-Marie Yameogo, WHO representative for Ivory Coast spoke on behalf of technical and financial development partners in the health sector, and congratulated the Government for their efforts to engage all stakeholders and that this collaboration and partnership will support achieving and sustaining our health goals.