Dushanbe – June 12, 2024
ECO Secretary General, Ambassador Khusrav Noziri, held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Oliver Schmoll, WHO-EURO Representative, during the 3rd International High-Level Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” 2018-2028.
During the meeting, Ambassador Noziri briefed Mr. Schmoll on the ECO and its health initiatives, including the ECO Action Plan on Health and the 5th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Health held in Geneva in 2023 alongside the WHO General Assembly. He highlighted health as a priority for ECO and emphasized the need for enhanced collaboration with international bodies, specifically with WHO’s regional offices, EMRO and EURO. He extended an invitation to WHO-EMRO to visit Tehran to work on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ECO and WHO and to seek WHO’s advice on the ECO Action Plan on Health. He also informed WHO about the upcoming 6th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Health in Iran in 2024, expressing his expectation for active participation and support from WHO.
Mr. Oliver Schmoll and Mr. Bruce Gordon, Unit Head at the WHO-EURO Office, expressed their readiness for increased engagement and collaboration with ECO. They informed Ambassador Noziri about the upcoming Health Investment Forum in Bishkek and stressed the importance of water for health. They also explored the possibility of strengthening relations between the two institutions and agreed to maintain communication to explore potential coordination opportunities.
