Signed in Paris, the agreement will open doors to new opportunities for increasing access to diabetes and non-communicable disease prevention and care in low- and middle-income countries.
27 February 2022 Anna Thabuis
Signed in Paris, the agreement will open doors to new opportunities for increasing access to diabetes and non-communicable disease prevention and care in low- and middle-income countries. On January 25, WDF and France’s development agency Agence Française de Développement (AFD) met in AFD’s headquarters near Paris’ Gare de Lyon. They were there to join forces around a common goal: strengthening health care systems to better address non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including diabetes in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).
The two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining a new collaboration to address the growing burden of NCDs, particularly in Africa. Through the MoU, the two also will work towards the integration of NCDs into national health policies and systems.
“This agreement is not just about bringing alternative sources of financing, but about creating efficiencies in countries where resources for health are limited. Both AFD and WDF want to promote sustainable solutions with a people-centred and health system approach, which is why we are entering this collaboration,” said Sanne Frost Helt, Senior Director, Policy, Programme and Partnerships at WDF.
Joining forces
The MoU encourages co-operation on projects implemented in LMICs , for which WDF and AFD’s ‘skills, initiatives and expertise are complementary’. It reflects AFD’s strategy to support governments and civil society organisations in strengthening health systems and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, according to Anne De Soucy, Director of the Partnership Department, AFD.
This public private partnership is a “signal to the world,” Ms De Soucy said.
AFD operates in more than 60 countries in Africa, the Pacific, Asia, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean and Latin America as well as in French overseas departments and collectivities. The MoU builds on an established relationship between WDF and AFD: since 2019, they have co-funded three projects in West Africa that were then implemented by the NGO Santé Diabète, which has a long history with both organisations in promoting diabetes prevention and care in West Africa.
The MoU has a focus on Africa but opens doors to opportunities across the globe. Together, WDF and AFD hope to integrate care and strengthen health systems in LMICs by pooling resources to promote efficiency. The partnership also seeks to make the NCD agenda more visible by joining voices and funding.
Others present at the signing included Stéphane Besançon, Director General of Santé Diabète, who facilitated the new partnership.
“We at WDF very much look forward to implementing the shared ambition expressed in this MoU. We hope it will pave the way for similar agreements with other bilateral partners in the future,” Ms Frost Helt said.
The new partners met the following day to discuss next steps and create a roadmap toward where and how concrete collaborations will take place.