A new grant programme largely funded by the European Development Fund (EDF) will support all 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries in an effort to strengthen their regional health systems and tackle non-communicable diseases and health security issues.
On Tuesday (18 June), EU Commissioner for International Cooperation Neven Mimica and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus signed a new financial agreement under which the EU will help the UN agency try to reach the ambitious goal of universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030.
“Universal health coverage is definitely our top priority,” said Tedros Adhanom at the signing ceremony held at this year’s European Development Days in Brussels. “Our vision is to see 1 billion more people benefiting from health coverage in between now and 2023,” he added.