WHO, Netherlands strengthen partnership on Ebola, global health security and emergency response

Africa, Health, International

GENEVA, Switzerland (NPA) — The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Netherlands have reaffirmed their longstanding partnership on Ebola, global health security, emergency preparedness and response, and resilient health systems.

The commitment was renewed during a meeting on Sept. 30 between WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, Netherlands Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

Tedros thanked Sjoerdsma for the Netherlands’ continued leadership on shared priorities, including health security, emergency preparedness and response, resilient health systems, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

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He said the partnership reflected the Netherlands’ Global Health Strategy 2023–2030, which recognises that protecting global health also helps protect health in the Netherlands.

Tedros welcomed the Netherlands’ continued commitment to flexible and predictable financing, saying it strengthens WHO’s capacity to prepare for and respond to health emergencies worldwide.

Dutch support contributes to WHO’s work in Gaza, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, helping to deliver essential health services, disease surveillance, outbreak control and medical supplies.

The two sides also discussed the evolution of the Ebola outbreak and the need to ensure access to essential health services for Palestinian patients from Gaza.

They examined ways to strengthen cooperation on health emergencies and ensure rapid action when crises emerge, including mechanisms that would make financing more readily available to contain outbreaks before they escalate.

Tedros and Sjoerdsma further discussed the growing number of attacks on healthcare and reiterated the importance of protecting health workers, patients and health facilities, while ensuring continued access to essential services in humanitarian settings.

Tedros thanked the Netherlands for its longstanding leadership in advancing SRHR, particularly for women, girls and people in vulnerable situations.

Through its partnership with WHO and the WHO-hosted Human Reproduction Programme, the Netherlands has helped translate research and evidence into practical improvements in women’s health, according to the WHO.

The two sides also exchanged views on WHO’s ongoing transformation and organisational priorities, with both reaffirming the need to ensure that resources, expertise and international cooperation deliver greater impact for countries and communities.