Vaughan Gething, Minister for Health and Social Services
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
I was delighted recently to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Health Organisation (WHO) which formalises our positive and evolving relationship and confirms Wales as an outward and forward looking country with much to contribute to the health equity agenda both within Europe and beyond.
The MoU sets out key areas for collaboration to accelerate progress towards healthy, prosperous lives for all, increasing equity in health, and enabling sustainable investment and solutions towards prosperity for current and future generations. It is supportive of our Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, Prosperity for All and Building A Healthier Wales, contributing to ‘a healthier’, ‘a more equal’ and ‘a prosperous’ Wales.
The memorandum aims to strengthen the role of Wales in the WHO European Region and globally, developing and sharing solutions and expertise, collaborating with WHO networks, forums, partners, Member States, territories and areas.
As a part of the MoU, Wales will also be the first country to establish its own Health Equity Status Report. The report will aim to assess health inequities and their determinants, as well as inform relevant policies, solutions for action and investment prioritisation in Wales.
I was pleased to recently meet with colleagues from the WHO to discuss the collaboration and priorities for joint work in relation to the MoU and to consider these within the context of the response and sustainable recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
My officials are working with Public Health Wales to progress this exciting area of work and I will update Members further on the progress of this work in due course.