A delegation of the World Health Organization (WHO), headed by Head of Mission and Representative to Iraq, Dr. Georges Ki-Zerbo, visited the American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB), where they engaged in discussion AUIB President, Dr. Michael Mulnix, and senior members of University faculty and staff on prospects of cooperation.
“I think we’ll become very good friends, and I’ll look forward to (WHO’s) guidance as we move forward to the area of building a hospital,” said President Mulnix after “a fascination discussion” with the delegation, expressing his hope that the international organization would help AUIB build and develop its programs in healthcare management and healthcare technologies.
“We see (AUIB) as a potential source of excellence, not only for the country, but also on the regional and global levels, through multiple partnerships. We see (its efforts) as complementary to WHO efforts at recovery from the pandemic, but also adaptation, mitigation, and resilience (against) climate change and other global threats,” said Dr. Ki-Zerbo after “a very insightful exchange on the opportunities for academic training” between his team and his hosts, in which were discussed prospects for “concrete support to projects and programs to enhance the quality of health systems and their resilience in a context where multiple risks are global and also regional,” posing the “need to address issues related to capacities in primary healthcare, adopting a lifelong approach to health, looking also at individual and community vulnerabilities, looking at health and peace, climate and health, and other aspects of integrated capacity building, in-line with the priorities and strategies of the government, civil society, and other partners,” according to the WHO official.