Sierra Leone’s Director-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Kadijatu Bassir on Monday, 21st March, 2016, arrived in Beijing, for the China–Africa Development Cooperation for Child Health, together with an official from the health ministry and UNICEF-Sierra Leone.
The team, including Dr. Santigie Sesay, Director, Reproductive and Child Health, Ministry of Health and Sanitation and Jenkins Alison, Chief of Child Survival Development-UNICEF Sierra Leone, is visiting on the invitation of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China and China’s Office of the United Nations Children’s Fund.
The China–Africa Development Cooperation for Child Health meeting is a follow-up discussion to the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the China-Africa Health Ministers meeting in 2015 when a commitment was made to “make resources and solutions available to address major causes of preventable maternal, newborn and child mortality” which continue to be high in Africa.”
Slated for 22-24 March 2016, the meeting brings together representatives from Ministry of Health and Aid Coordinating Agency as well as UNICEF Office in eight African countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan.
It aims at exploring how China and African countries could engage to generally promote maternal and child health and newborn health in particular, as a priority area for Chinese aid to African countries. It also will identify areas of potential support from UNICEF in line with the principles of “mutual respect, equality, keeping promise, mutual benefits and win-win” as defined in China’s White Paper on development aid.
Discussions will also focus on current child health priority needs of each of the countries and how child health interventions can be integrated into the China-Africa cooperation. Participants are also expected to discuss challenges and opportunities to expand cooperation to improve newborn, child and maternal health in Africa.
Madam Bassir will on 22nd March make a presentation on bilateral cooperation with China, paying specific attention to the health sector.
John Baimba Sesay
Press/Information Attaché
Sierra Leone Embassy
People’s Republic of China
