Online Reporter
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke
Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWE has assumed the chairmanship of the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee (PBAC), a subcommittee of the Executive Board of the World Health Organisation, in a significant milestone for the country’s growing influence on global health governance.
The PBAC plays a critical oversight role, providing technical advice on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) programmatic, budgetary and administrative issues to ensure transparency and accountability in the organisation’s operations.
Zimbabwe will be represented by Dr Aspect Maunganidze, the Permanent Secretary for Health and Child Care, who pledged to collaborate closely with other member states in steering WHO’s policy and financial direction.
“This appointment is a testament to Zimbabwe’s commitment to global health leadership and our reputation as a trusted partner in international health governance,” he said.
“We are proud to contribute to the development of policies and strategies that will improve health outcomes for all.
“Through this, we expect, together with the other 11 member states, to inform the direction that WHO will take.”
Speaking after the Executive Board’s two-day meeting in Geneva, Dr Maunganidze said the committee’s work was more critical than ever, especially in light of ongoing financial reforms and shifting donor dynamics within WHO.
“The Executive Board’s function is to implement decisions and policies that would have come through the World Health Assembly and implement all the tasks and account for the sectoral work between the World Health Assemblies,” he said.
One of the important tasks of the Executive Board was to endorse the appointment of the WHO Afro regional director, Professor Mohamed Yakub Janabi, who was elected at the WHA, following the death of the previous regional director-elect from Tanzania.
Dr Maunganize emphasised the Board’s responsibility in implementing key decisions passed during the recent World Health Assembly and ensuring they were translated into action over the next year.
He said the Board had also deliberated on reforms to WHO’s governance structure, particularly in response to challenges in global financing, including the reduction in funding from major donors such as the United States.
“The Executive Board is seized with reviewing reforms that are really necessary now, especially considering the financing issues,” he said.
“These discussions are crucial in safeguarding the stability and sustainability of the WHO’s operations.”
Australia took over as Chair of the WHO Executive Board from Barbados, with Dr Comley Blair now leading the 34-member board.
The focus in the coming months will be on implementing decisions made during the Assembly and finalising the organisation’s programmatic and financial priorities for the next biennium.
As chair of the PBAC, Zimbabwe will play a central role in reviewing and shaping WHO’s budgets, reform priorities, and administrative policies.
