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Signing Ceremony for United States-Cameroon Health Cooperation Agreement at the Ministry of Public Health

Yaounde, June 11, 2007

A signing ceremony will take place June 14, 2007, at 12:00, at the Ministry of Public Health to formalize government-to-government cooperation between the United States and Cameroon for the prevention of HIV/AIDS, Avian Influenza, and other infectious diseases. The agreement will be signed by Niels Marquardt, U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon, and Minister Urbain Olanguena Awono, Minister of Public Health. The agreement formalizes the relationship of health cooperation that has existed between the United States and Cameroon since 2000. The agreement has an initial validity of five years, after which it is extended automatically for further five-year period unless terminated by either party. The Agreement (MOA) provides official recognition of U.S. technical assistance to the Ministry of Public Health by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC operates under the aegis of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and, in Cameroon, under the U.S. Embassy. The formalized agreement supports cooperation in the areas of HIV/AIDS, surveillance of Avian Influenza and other infectious diseases, research, disease prevention, control, care, treatment, infrastructure development, and related activities. The agreement also opens the door for future U.S. Government health programs to be stationed in Cameroon and for U.S. investment related to disease prevention and global health concerns.

CDC has a long history of successfully working with host countries in HIV/AIDS prevention research, including productive CDC HIV research stations in Botswana, Thailand, and Kenya. In collaboration with the Government of Cameroon, CDC aims to undertake similar long-term research activities. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, currently with headquarters in Mutengene, will continue to work toward developing infrastructure to conduct HIV prevention research that meets international standards in Cameroon. These efforts include strengthening Human Resources capacity (by training Cameroonian scientific staff), assisting with physical infrastructure development (by renovating research laboratories), and promoting good community research practices (by engaging communities and other stakeholders in Cameroon).

For further information, please contact the Information Section of the U.S. Embassy, Yaounde, Tel 22-20-15-00, x4162 or x4273.

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