Morocco has underscored the interconnection existing between health security and peace and security and insisted that conflict and instability can exacerbate public health problems. This came at a meeting held this Thursday by the African Union’s Peace and security Council (PSC) on “Health security and the promotion of peace and security in Africa”, chaired by the Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the AU and UNECA, Mohamed Arrouchi. The Moroccan delegation stressed at the meeting that health security and the promotion of peace and security are deeply interconnected, and that conflict and instability can exacerbate public health problems. The Moroccan delegation called, in this vein, for a unified continental approach to pandemic preparedness, strengthening and restoring health systems in Africa, within the framework of an AU Pandemic Preparedness and Response (PRP) policy, and promoting a stronger African health diplomacy. This PSC meeting is held while a cholera outbreak is gripping the Southern Africa region, which highlights the persisting challenges of disease epidemics facing the continent.
