Transformation of World Health Organization's management practice and workforce to fit the priorities of African countries.

Introduction: The WHO Regional Office for Africa developed an evidence-based tool, called the Dalberg tool to guide the functional review and restructuring of the workforce and management of the country offices to better fit the health priorities of Member States.

Methods: The Dalberg tool was used in conjunction with a series of consultations and dialogues to review twenty-two countries have undergone the functional review. Results: the "core functions" in WHO country offices (WCOs) were identified.

Reflections on the decade of the neglected tropical diseases.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of diseases that disproportionately affect the poorest of the poor. While for years attention has focused on single diseases within this group, efforts during the past decade have resulted in their being grouped together to highlight that they are fundamentally diseases of neglected populations. The formation of a World Health Organization department to address these diseases consolidated the efforts of the many stakeholders involved.

Proceedings of the first African Health Forum: effective partnerships and intersectoral collaborations are critical for attainment of Universal Health Coverage in Africa.

Background: Universal Health Coverage (UHC)is central to the health Sustainable Development Goals(SDG). Working towards UHC is a powerful mechanism for achieving the right to health and promoting human development which is a priority area of focus for the World Health Organization WHO. As a result, the WHO Regional Office for Africa convened the first-ever Africa Health Forum, co- hosted by the government of Rwanda in Kigali in June 2017 with the theme The Forum aimed to strengthen and forge new partnerships, align priorities and galvanize commitment to advance the health agenda in Africa in order to attain UHC and the SDGs.