Amadou Toumani Toure, the president of the Republic of  Mali, has said that strategies of public health and care in the 21st century are based on scientific evidence and Africa must control science and technology.

He made these remarks on Monday as he presided over the official opening of a three-day Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health at the Centre for International Press in Bamako, Mali. The  three-day forum which brought together several hundred health ministers from across the globe was organized by the World Health Organisation, World Bank and other international stakeholders in the health sector. The forum is being held simultaneously with the training of journalists on research for health.

According to him, the experience of developed and emerging countries indicates that investing in scientific research and technological innovation, is a way of ensuring the future in the health, political, economic, social and cultural sectors.

"Conscious of the importance of research, the 19th congress of scientists in Africa, held in Brazzaville in 1987 under the initiatives of the OUA now AU, had assigned an objective for the mobilization of the African scientific community for development of the  continent. This fight is still topical in regards to the numerous challenges that are to be taken up as far as health is concerned," he said.

The Malian president further stated that an efficient research system would be the best approach to the prevention and management of epidemics and endemics which can hinder our development.

For his part, Louis Sambou, the regional director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on behalf of the Dr Magaret Chan, the Director General WHO, said this year's World Health Report on primary health care sets out evidence that supports an especially relevant conclusion, meeting the public's rising expectation for health .

According to him, the World Health Report 2008, singles out Mali's progress towards universal health coverage as an example of what can be achieved when the policy engages community participation, especially the women.

Walter Erdelen, the assistant director general of Natural Sciences of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, (UNESCO), said the United Nation agencies have committed themselves to a reform process under the leadership of the former secretary general, Kofi Annan, and the current SG, Ban Ki-Moon, to bring greater coherence to the UN system at the national levels.