WHO EMRO - Regional Health Alliance

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Introduction

The Regional Health Alliance (RHA) comprises multilateral health, development and humanitarian agencies which collaborate to accelerate progress towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

By facilitating multilateral engagement and joint efforts to address health priorities, RHA supports Member States meet their goals and ensure that no one is left behind. Led by WHO, it acts as a platform for coordinating the work of UN agency members, optimizing support for Member States as they advance their health-focused development strategies and plans, particularly those aligned with the health-related SDGs.

Established in mid-2019 with 12 UN agency members, the alliance has grown to include 18 member organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UN-Habitat, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), UN Women and the World Food Programme (WFP).

On 5 March 2020, the first Regional Health Forum convened and a joint action plan for 2020–2021 was launched. RHA’s joint action plans detail collectively identified actions and set clear deliverables. Participants also committed to regular meetings to share information, track progress and undertake missions to priority countries.

In December 2021, RHA members, under the leadership of the WHO Regional Director, endorsed a second joint action plan, covering 2022–2023. The meeting included the presentation of case studies illustrating both achievements and challenges in advancing towards the health-related SDGs.

The objectives of the RHA include:

strengthening regional multilateral collaboration mechanisms to accelerate progress towards achieving health-related SDG targets through the ONE UN approach;

the provision of streamlined support to countries, addressing their needs with a focus on no one being left behind;

facilitating the delivery of aligned and coordinated country-level technical and policy support through UN resident coordinators and other networks;

ensuring that the challenges faced by the Region’s 22 countries and territories, and the unique contexts in which they must be overcome, are reflected in health agendas, strategies and programmes; and

establishing shared accountability mechanisms, reviewing progress in implementing joint actions, identifying bottlenecks and taking measures to resolve contentious issues.