In line with Resolution 3 adopted during the 59th Ordinary Session of the Council of Arab Health Ministers on 21 May 2023 in Geneva, which initiated the Arab Strategy for a Health-Friendly Budget, the General Secretariat convened a joint Arab meeting of health and finance ministries on 1-2 July 2024 at its headquarters. The meeting, organised in collaboration with the United Nations Population Programme for the Arab States and the Regional Office of the World Health Organisation for the Eastern Mediterranean, aimed to monitor strategy implementation, review objectives, and formulate an implementation plan through discussions with relevant authorities from health and finance ministries. The goal is to enhance pathways towards achieving the strategy’s objectives.
Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General and head of the Social Affairs Sector, highlighted that this strategy serves as a blueprint for Arab countries to develop health budgets that are responsive and adaptable to population needs. It aims to strengthen public financial management systems, thereby advancing comprehensive health coverage. The strategy outlines principles aimed at increasing the health sector's involvement in interventions, emphasising efficient delivery of health services and expanding financial resources for health within existing budgets.
Dr. Abu Ghazaleh underscored that the strategy prioritises the role of health ministries in enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of public funds. This includes reinforcing expenditure policies to accommodate new health allocations amid limited opportunities to increase public revenues. Recognising the global consensus on the pivotal role of public financing in achieving universal health coverage, health-friendly budgets focus on optimising the management of these resources.
