Morocco Strengthens Partnership with the World Health Organization on the Sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly
The Minister of Health and Social Protection, Ameen Tahrani, held discussions with the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Wednesday in Geneva, during the 78th World Health Assembly, which runs from May 19 to 27.
During this meeting, the minister reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment, under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to continue implementing the royal project for reforming the national health system. He emphasized a comprehensive vision aimed at promoting health equity, expanding universal health coverage, improving the quality of services, developing infrastructure, and training human resources.
The minister also highlighted Morocco’s engagement in the implementation of the bilateral cooperation frameworks with the World Health Organization, through a practical approach aimed at achieving national health sovereignty, particularly by encouraging local production of medicines and vaccines. His remarks were grounded in the core guidelines of the new development model and the Sustainable Development Goals.
He further outlined the kingdom’s vision to position itself as a regional hub for health product production, citing the “Marbio” project, which he considered a pioneering initiative to enhance health sovereignty on the African continent through technology transfer and local production for the benefit of southern countries.
For his part, the Director-General of the World Health Organization expressed his satisfaction with the tangible progress Morocco has made in the health sector, praising the dynamism observed in this sector and the kingdom’s serious commitment to strengthening health security at both regional and international levels. He highlighted Morocco’s active and effective role in the Executive Board of the World Health Organization during the 2022-2025 period.
The UN official reiterated the organization’s commitment to continue and further develop its partnership with Morocco by providing necessary support for the implementation of strategic projects, particularly in areas of capacity building, localizing pharmaceutical and vaccine industries, and expanding health protection programs.
This meeting was attended by Ambassador Omar Zniber, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, amid the participation of the Moroccan delegation in the current session of the World Health Assembly, which is expected to adopt an international agreement on pandemic preparedness this year.
