Concord Times (Freetown)
Rachel Horner
18 November 2008
Mali — Member of the board, council on health research for development, COHRED based in Switzerland Monday said the influence of international sources distorts national health agendas.
Aissatou Toure made this statement at the opening ceremony of a three-day ministerial forum on research for heath in Bamako, Mali.
"It is true that an increasing number of low and middle income countries contribute substantial national resources to funding research for health-especially in the areas of infrastructure and salary support. But much of the research project still comes from international sources," she said
Toure said alignment through the Paris declaration on aid effectiveness was one way of ensuring that research funding focuses on national priorities.
"Actively practicing harmonization reduces the significant administration burden and complex reporting pressures that countries have in dealing with many donor agencies that supportive their research," she noted.
UNESCO's assistant director general of natural sciences Walter Erdelen said his organization's medium term strategy for 2008 to 2013 was to structure five programmes including driven overarching objectives, attaining quality education for all, mobilizing scientific knowledge and science policy, addressing emerging ethical challenges, cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, and inclusive knowledge.
"All these domains have an impact on health and are important for research. All of these require partnerships and cooperation with other UN agencies and with a broad spectrum of intergovernmental and non-governmental agencies," he said.
Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure said an effective research system would be the best approach in the prevention and management of these epidemics that have the potential to hinder development, adding that the experience of developing countries indicates that investing in scientific research and technologic innovation was a way of insuring the future in the health, political, economic, social and cultural sectors.
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