July 15, 2022 | Anthony Okoth
Leadership from University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Ciheb Rwanda participated to the Technical Workshop to Review the draft Prime Minister’s instructions establishing the One Health Multi-Sectoral Coordination Mechanism and determining its mission, organization, and functioning. The workshop was convened in May 2022 by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and held in Kigali.
One Health approach emphasizes the interconnection between the health of people, animals, and the environment. This approach calls upon the need to collaborate, communicate and coordinate efforts across sectors and agencies to protect and advance public health.
The One Health approach presents an opportunity for stakeholders, including UMB’s Ciheb Rwanda, to contribute to managing public health challenges. These challenges include emerging and re-emerging pandemics such as COVID-19. With pandemics now a clear threat to health globally, and only 15% of adults vaccinated across Africa, the One Health Multi-Sectoral Coordination Mechanism represents a positive step in establishing mechanisms to test and treat Rwandans while collaborating across disciplines for innovations that can benefit the people of Rwanda.
UMB’s Ciheb Rwanda has a long-standing relationship with the Rwanda Ministry of Health and various partners including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Rwanda and UNICEF. “UMB’s Ciheb Rwanda is proud to be a contributing stakeholder to the One Health Multi-Sectoral Coordination Mechanism and will leverage its experience, and that of the wider Ciheb fraternity in HIV, TB, and COVID-19 testing and treatment, for the benefit of the people of Rwanda,” said Dr. Cyprien Baribwira, Ciheb Rwanda Country Director.
Workshop attendees reviewed the draft Prime Minister’s instructions establishing the One Health Multi-Sectoral Coordination Mechanism, verified its alignment to the One Health Policy and One Health Strategic Plan, provided input from the stakeholder perspective, made a draft organizational structure of the One Health Secretariat, and availed a final document for submission to the Law Reform Commission for approval. Policy specialists and experts, including UMB’s Ciheb Rwanda, will continue to contribute to the One Health policies and future workshops, as well as rolling out the same in their respective organizations.
Contact
Center for International Health, Education, and Biosecurity
Institute of Human Virology
Anthony Okoth
Regional Communications Specialist
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