Education Minister gets UN appointment
The Minister of Education, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has been appointed to the United Nations High Level Commission on Health, Employment and Economic Growth (ComHEE).
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The commission is jointly chaired by the Presidents of France and South Africa, Messrs Francois Hollande and Jacob Zumah.
It has Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO); Mr Angel Gurria, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Mr Guy Rider, Secretary-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), as vice chairpersons.
Commissioners
The Commissioners of ComHEE are drawn from around the world. They are composed of academics, senior government officials, representatives from international organisations, development actors, executives from private commercial and non/profit organisations, and figures from civil society.
Besides Prof. Opoku-Agyemang the other commissioners include,”Dr. Nkosazana Dlamani-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; Dr Midlays Castlilla, Co-Founder of the Latin American School of Medicine, Cuba; Dr Ewa Kopacz, former Prime Minister, Poland; Mr Dinh Tien Dung, Minister of Finance, Viet Nam and Dr Judith Shamian, the President, International Council of Nurses and Prof. Joseph Stigiltz, Economist,” a statement said.
Objective
A major objective of the ComHEE is to develop a global strategy implemented at national and local level, as essential to support the determined development of decent jobs in line with the wider goals set by the United Nations, the G7 and the G20.
The Commission is guided by the conviction that the development of employment in the health and social sector is not only an imperative of international public health. It constitutes a major economic and social opportunity to promote inclusive economic growth and creation of decent jobs, especially for women and youth.
It recognises that the promotion of investment in health requires the development of teaching capacities in particular through the strengthening of scientific-research, vocational training and university partnerships.
Report
“The commission is required to submit its report to the Secretary-General of the United Nations at the margins of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly (September 13-26, 2016). The technical and analytical work carried out will be made available to decision-makers and the public. The final report will be available in the six official languages of the United Nations”.
Member states of the United Nations signed onto the Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015, setting an ambitious agenda, particularly with respect to ensuring healthy lives for all.
In December 2015, the United Nations General Assembly resolution (A/70/L.32) recognised that investing in new health workforce employment opportunities may also add broader socio-economic value to the economy and contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
As a result, Member States requested the United Nations Secretary-General to explore steps to meet the global shortfall of trained health workers.