Public Health Minister Meets UNICEF Regional Director to Discuss Health Sector Priorities

Afghanistan’s Minister of Public Health, Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali, held a meeting in his office with Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF’s Regional Director for South Asia.

The two sides engaged in an in-depth discussion on bilateral cooperation, existing challenges, joint initiatives, and the priority needs of Afghanistan’s health sector. Minister Jalali welcomed the UNICEF delegation and stated:

“Despite the current capacities within Afghanistan’s health sector, we still require the continued support of international partners in order to bring about meaningful improvements in maternal and child health, vaccination coverage, nutrition, the control of communicable diseases, and the provision of essential health services.”

He expressed gratitude for UNICEF’s sustained cooperation and added that the Ministry of Public Health is fully prepared to strengthen accountability, enhance transparency, and ensure better coordination for the effective implementation of joint programmes, so that people can receive high-quality and reliable health services.

For his part, the UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia reaffirmed that UNICEF will continue its ongoing assistance and collaboration with Afghanistan’s health sector and will intensify efforts to mobilise greater support among international donors.