The Citizens’ Platform for Strategic Monitoring of Health Policies in Niger, the Civil Society Global Network for Malaria Elimination (CS4ME) and the Global Fund Advocates Network Africa (GFAN AFRICA) under the coordination of the NGO Impact Santé Afrique (ISA) organized a strategic meeting to advocate for increased mobilization of domestic resources for Health in Africa. 40 civil society organizations (CSOs) from 15 francophone countries of the continent took part in this meeting, which was held on July 02, 2019 in Niamey on the side-lines of the 12th Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and the African Union.
During this meeting, it was discussed to define the advocacy strategy with which CSOs intend to influence the decision-making of African leaders (Heads of State and Government, parliamentarians, first ladies, ministers, etc.) in favour of increasing domestic resources to finance health. A CSO statement and action plan were produced at this meeting. They will serve as a lever for civil society organizations to obtain firm commitments from African leaders to improve health financing on the continent.
The declaration of African CSOs calls for the allocation of increased domestic resources for health; to provide counterpart financing on time, to establish integrated and comprehensive primary health care, to improve the health and community system, ensure availability of quality services and inputs up to the community level; to establish multi-sectoral councils to monitor commitments in each country; and to institutionalize accountability tools for the effective use of health resources.
The Niamey Declaration recalls that African countries have been facing the most serious threats to public health, despite progress in the field of health. Health systems remain weak and largely underfunded. Domestic resource mobilization is too slow to enable Africa to meet its commitments and meet community needs. It is therefore imperative for African countries to significantly increase their annual health budgets. The Niamey Declaration reminds African leaders of the commitments made in Agenda 2063, the 2001 Abuja Declaration and the 2013 Abuja Declaration. Commitments to realize an Africa that is home to “healthy and well nourished citizens”, to allocate 15% of national budgets to health and to end the AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria epidemics in Africa by 2030. The reminder also of the initiative of African Heads of State and Government launched in February 2019 in Addis Ababa aimed specifically at increasing investment in health and accelerating the realization of universal health coverage.
In the short term, the Niamey Declaration urges African leaders to contribute to the successful 6th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria to be held in Lyon, France in October 2019. This would demonstrate our leaders’ commitment to positioning African countries as significant actors in global solidarity for health, a solidarity on which the survival and well-being of their populations remain largely dependent.
Organisations Présentes
Plateforme de Suivi Stratégique des politiques de santé, Niger,- RNP +, CSCG, Gabon – Jeunesse Sans Frontières, Gabon– PAOLP, CONGO, Niger– RENIP+, Niger – RENIPOC, Niger – Association FARHAN, NIGER– AFRIYAN, Niger– RYPS, Niger– ONG SDL, Niger-POSSAV, Guinée– RACOJ, RDC – JCVS, RDC– Plateforme OSC pour le VIH et la promotion de la santé, Togo– PHICC, Cameroun– IRESCO, Cameroun– ROAFEM, Benin– RMAP +, MALI– ROASSN, Niger– RAME, Burkina Faso – REFNI, Niger– ONEN, Niger – ITPC, Côte d’ivoire– AJLP, Tchad– CORCOREC /SADE, CONGO– RENAPS AJ, Gabon– MVS, Niger– SONGES, Niger– Rwanda NGO forum on HIV/AIDS & Health promotion, Rwanda– ROPS+, Niger– Plateforme DES -ICI, Niger– ONG JAAD, Niger– SCI, Niger– ISA -Impact Santé Afrique, Cameroun CS4ME, GFAN AFRICA, WACI HEALTH, ENDA-SANTE Guinée Bissau-Sénégal
