The 2nd Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development

October 6, 2015, South Africa

1. On October 6th, 2015, the Ministers in charge of health affairs in China and African countries, met in Cape Town, South Africa, on the occasion of the 2nd Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development. Representatives from the African Union, World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank, Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, were in attendance at the Forum.

2. Recalling the first Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development, which took place in Beijing on August 17th, 2013, and the adoption of Beijing Declaration.

3.Reaffirming the decision of the 1st Ministerial Forum to formally include the Health Development Forum as a sub-forum of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

4. Considering that health must be an intrinsic part of sustainable development. China-Africa health collaboration should be guided by African countries’ action programmes/strategies, the WHO action programmes, the AU Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The focus of China-Africa health collaboration is saving lives and improving the wellbeing of people.

5.Recognizing the importance of the theme “Promoting the access of healthcare service in Africa, Improving China-Africa’s Cooperation in Public Health in post-Ebola era”, China-Africa health cooperation should be strengthened around universal health coverage (UHC).

6.Reaffirming the importance of access to high-quality, essential health commodities, medicines and vaccines, as well as medical devices, diagnostics, and regulation of drugs and commodities.

7.Emphasizing the necessity of taking actions against non-communicable diseases, preventable communicable and emerging diseases, such as Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.

8.Emphasizing the adoption of innovation, information and communications technology (ICT) for health; building regional disease surveillance system; improving International Health Regulations (IHR) core capacities; enhancing the development, regulation and use of traditional medicines, and public private partnerships.

9. Reaffirming the willingness to work with all partners to make resources and solutions available to address major causes of preventable maternal, new-born and child mortality, which continues to be high in Africa.

10. Drawing lessons from the EVD outbreak and the global response, and recognizing China was among the first to deliver EVD emergency support to the affected countries. In addition to financial support, this included the provision of medical materials, mobile and fixed bio-safety labs, vehicles, training courses and food. China also dispatched medical professionals, lab technicians and public health specialists to affected areas. Some African countries also provided support to the EVD affected countries in the form of human resource, materials, labs, logistical support and humanitarian relief.

11.Acknowledging that health personnel training and exchanges, construction of medical facilities and disease prevention and control infrastructure, and the delivery of essential health commodities constitute a broader strategy of helping African countries to build resilient health systems. Learning from the EVD crisis, Chinese and African leaders in health sectors fully support a new, well-funded, and functional international response system to manage future pandemics.

12. Reaffirming the need to enhance Sino-African health cooperation, China and African countries commit to:

-Improve the health system of African countries in the post-Ebola era;

-Reinforce the surveillance and epidemiological systems on national and regional level;

-Assist with human resources development in Africa;

-Improve health infrastructure through the construction, renovation and equipment of medical facilities;

-Reinforce laboratory capacity and diagnostic systems;

-Contribute in the improvement of health information systems;

-Pursue cooperation in the field of health to improve health care accessibility;

-Contribute to improve the accessibility of quality medicines, vaccine, diagnostics and health commodities.

13. China and African countries commit to implement the Cape Town Declaration, as agreed in the Framework of Implementation. We, the Ministers of African countries in charge of health affairs, express our appreciation to South Africa and China for organizing this Forum.

Special Report:The 2nd Ministerial Forum on China-Africa Health Cooperation