UK, Germany pledge to improve healthcare in developing world
23/8/2007 15:47
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his visiting German counterpart
Angela Merkel yesterday pledged to improve healthcare in the developing
world.
After the meeting at the No. 10 Downing Street, the two leaders issued
a joint statement on a new International Health Partnership, saying that
addressing healthcare and aid provision was now a " development
emergency".
The new partnership, which will launch formally on 5 September,
will drive forward work on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) involving the
reduction of child and maternal mortality and the tackling of specific diseases
such as HIV/AIDS, the two leaders said.
"We see this as a critical step in
our call for an international mobilization of effort to achieve the MDGs that
will build year on year until 2015. Our efforts must bring together the private
sector, NGOs, faith groups, international agencies and governments in a new
partnership to reduce poverty, improve health and provide opportunities for the
poor across the world." the two leaders said in the statement.
They said that
MDGs focusing on healthcare were the "least likely to be met" by the agreed
target date of 2015, and that an " improved approach" was needed.
This will
entail the strengthening of "weak systems" suffering from a lack of workers and
clinics and better coordination of " complex" and "fragmented health provision",
they added.
Brown and Merkel also highlighted the renewed commitment of the
world's richest nations to meet funding pledges made in 2005.
"We reaffirm
our commitment made at the G8 and the EU to provide the financing needed to meet
our health commitments through the established institutions and mechanisms. In
this context, the replenishment of the Global Fund will be a key step. We will
also explore innovative financing mechanisms to meet these commitments." said
they.
It was Merkel's first visit to London since Brown took office as Prime
Minister from Tony Blair on June 27. After the press conference, the two leaders
attended a friendly football match between England and Germany at Wembley
stadium last night.
xinhua
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