East Africa and four UN agencies plan a joint framework for health and youth
UNFPA, WHO, UNICEF and UNAIDS met the EAC secretary general in Arusha. He wants a memorandum signed within three months.
Arusha — The East African Community and four United Nations agencies have agreed to set up a structured partnership framework for joint work on health and development, the EAC said.
The agencies, UNFPA, WHO, UNICEF and UNAIDS, met EAC Secretary General Ambassador Stephen Mbundi at the Community's headquarters in Arusha. The delegation was led by Lydia Zigomo, UNFPA's regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa, and included WHO's regional director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, and UNICEF's regional director Etleva Kadilli.
What it will cover
- Reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health
- HIV and universal health coverage
- Gender, adolescents and young people, to make the most of East Africa's young population
- Sustainable financing and supportive laws and policies
Mbundi asked for the framework to be formalised in a memorandum of understanding, completed within three months, and stressed showing citizens what regional integration does for their lives. The EAC and the agencies already work together through regional forums on maternal and child health, HIV and health data, and have developed regional minimum standards for integrated maternal health and HIV services.
Source: East African Community, 16 September 2026.
