Harare, 21 December 2006 -- The WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Luis G Sambo paid an official visit to Zimbabwe from 17 – 21 December 2006, to meet the national authorities of Zimbabwe as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) Staff.

During his visit, Dr Sambo met His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Robert G Mugabe and informed him that following a meeting of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa held in Brazzaville, Congo, in 2002, a decision was made to return to Brazzaville the WHO Regional Office for Africa which had temporarily relocated to Harare since 1997. The WHO Regional Office in Zimbabwe will therefore finally close on 31 December 2006.

Dr Sambo however, added that a WHO Inter-country Support Team had now been established in Harare to provide technical support to Eastern, Southern African and Indian Ocean Island countries to accelerate the implementation of health programmes related to the Millennium Development Goals.He thanked President Mugabe and the Government and the People of Zimbabwe for hosting the World Health Organization Regional Office for the past nine years. Dr Sambo and President Mugabe also discussed priority health issues of concern to the region such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosisThe Zimbabwean leader expressed his appreciation for the work of the World Health Organization in Africa and gave an assurance that he would continue to support the Organization. Dr Sambo also paid a courtesy call on Zimbabwe’s Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr David Parirenyatwa. He assured the minister that WHO would continue to support Zimbabwe.Dr Sambo held meetings with all WHO Staff members and the Staff Associations to discuss the modalities of the transition period.

He paid tribute to all the staff for their contribution to the work of the WHO Regional Office for Africa while located in Zimbabwe. He was particularly appreciative of support of the national support staff who could not be absorbed in the newly established Inter-Country Support Team.

For more information contact:

Dr E K Njelesani 

WHO Representative in Zimbabwe 

Parirenyatwa Hospital ( Annex Building) 

Mazowe Street 

P.O. Box CY 348 

Causeway 

HARARE

Email: info [at] zw.afro.who.int
Tel.: 263 - 4 – 253724-30 
Fax: 263 - 4 – 253731-2