Members of the Alliance of WHO Collaborating Centres in the Republic of Korea met with the WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, during her visit to the Republic of Korea in September 2015.
MANILA - In the Republic of Korea, WHO collaborating centres have formed an alliance to share experiences, mutually strengthen their roles, mobilize resources and improve health outcomes at country level.
The Republic of Korea is presently home to 19 WHO collaborating centres. At the First Forum of WHO Collaborating Centres in the Western Pacific Region in November 2014, the WHO collaborating centres (then 17) had a first opportunity to meet and start to learn about each other's work.
The centres saw the benefits of sharing best practices and strengthening their partnership. They decided to continue sharing expertise and experiences after the forum by establishing a national alliance of WHO collaborating centres.
Since the forum, the Alliance of WHO Collaborating Centres in the Republic of Korea has met every quarter. Each centre has presented their work, priorities and funding sources to help other centres with ideas for and approaches to activities and resource mobilization.
To formalize their relationship, the Alliance has elected office bearers and is drafting articles of association.
During WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan’s visit to the Republic of Korea for the Global Health Security Agenda meeting in 2015, the WHO collaborating centres took the opportunity to briefly present their Alliance along with posters showing each centre’s work.
Dr Lee Kang Hyun, National Cancer Center in the Republic of Korea, President of the Alliance said: “We are happy with the commitment and the pride shown by each WHO collaborating centre in contributing to build our Alliance. By working together we anticipate increased synergies and contributions to improving health.”
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Alliance of WHO Collaborating Centres in the Republic of Korea