Statements & Commentaries

Statement by the Regional Director on the attempt to repeal the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia
Brazzaville - My heart goes out to the women and girls who have suffered from the deep-rooted cultural and traditional sensitivities surrounding Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). This sensitive issue affects not only The Gambia but more than 200 million girls and women alive today who have undergone FGM in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, where FGM is most prevalent.[1] Evidence shows that FGM has no health benefits. Instead, it causes harm, including poor wound healing,…
United in the fight against MPOX in Africa
We, the Ministers of Health of Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Uganda and partners, meeting in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo on 13 April 2024; Read the full statement
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO), and the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO EMRO)extend their profound appreciation to the United Kingdom government for the recent announcement of its transformative commitment to enhancing global health made during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The United Kingdom's dedication to addressing the world's most…
Directors of Africa Regional Institutions for the Continental World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2021 - Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is Our Shared Responsibility
We, the Africa Regional Directors of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Regional Office for Africa Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Regional Office for Near East and North Africa World Health Organization (WHO), Regional Office for Africa World Health Organization (WHO), Regional…
DG Dr Tedros and RD Dr Moeti interact with staff during their trip to Butembo
Butembo, 30 April 2019—World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, have concluded a visit to Butembo, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was in Butembo on 19 April that WHO epidemiologist Dr Richard Mouzoko was killed by armed men while he and colleagues were working on the Ebola response. “Dr Mouzoko’s death moved me profoundly. On this mission, he was on my mind the whole time as we met…
BRAZZAVILLE/28 February 2019 –The World Health Organization (WHO) is deeply concerned about the recent attacks on the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)-run Ebola treatment centres on 24 February in Katwa and on 27 February in Butembo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Such attacks are deplorable for their immediate impact on lives and for the risk of spreading the disease further. They are profoundly disrespectful of the dedicated work of local, regional and international responders.…