Ambassador of Ethiopia to China, Tefera Derbew Yimam, attended the forum
date：2023-09-12 17:26:34 views：
On September 6th, the 6th Belt and Road Forum for Traditional Chinese Medicine Development, as a summit forum of the 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services, was successfully held at the Beijing National Convention Center. The forum was co-hosted by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, with the theme: 'Deepening Cooperation of Belt and Road Traditional Chinese Medicine Development and Jointly Creating a Global Community of Health for All'. Officials from Chinese and foreign government departments, representatives from international organizations, academicians from the Academy of Engineering, Nobel laureates, and leaders from the political consultative conferences of 10 provinces including Guangdong, Zhejiang, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Sichuan, Gansu, Hebei, and Henan, alongside diplomats from 20 embassies stationed in China from countries such as South Africa, Israel, Belarus, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Cape Verde, Liberia, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, and Cuba, as well as representatives from over 400 enterprises, participated in the event.
Ambassador of Ethiopia to China, H.E. Tefera Derbew Yimam, attended the forum’s opening ceremony and delivered a speech at Keynote Speech
Excellencies Leaders,
Colleague Ambassadors,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning,
At the outset, my heartfelt appreciation goes to National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and People’s Government of Beijing Municipality for inviting me to attend and indeed deliver a speech at this important forum. I am confident that this forum will continue to serve as an ideal platform to enhance international exchange and cooperation in Traditional Chinese Medicine, thereby contributing to the construction of a global community of health for all.
I believe the forum fully demonstrates China’s persistent and active role in the global cause of public health and her willingness to deepen cooperations which entails for the betterment of humanity. I am confident that this stage will further enhance the promotion of effective cooperation between health care institutions of the Belt and Road Countries, which will ultimately lead to strengthening health systems and resulting in significant gains in improving the health status of our peoples.
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen’s
Traditional Chinese medicine is one the precious gifts of the ancient Chinese civilization to the rest of humanity. Indeed, the development of traditional Chinese two thousand years ago, clearly demonstrates not only the greatness of the ancient Chinese civilization but also the wisdom of the Chinese people in recognizing the harmonious coexistence between man and nature. Chinese people’s early understanding about the existence of the two complementary forces - Yin and Yang both in Universe and within human body was truly an inspiring ancient finding which serves as a conceptual basis for development traditional Chinese medicine. The early recognition human being dependence on nature and its heavy reliance for survival signifies the rich ecological awareness possessed by the ancient Chinese people.
Over thousand years of usage for a variety of clinical treatments of different kinds of diseases and symptoms, the traditional Chinese Medicine has experienced further development and modernization over time. Since the 1950s, the Chinese government consistent effort to integrate the traditional medicine with modern medicines through constant academic innovations carried out by research and development centers has shown significant boost in TCM’s global popularity.
Strong policy support and guidance of the central government has also enabled the TCM to flourish both in health prevention and delivery system and herbal medicine industry. Furthermore, it could be a remiss of us if we don’t mention here the critical role being played by Chinese traditional medicines in treatment of severe respiratory disease such as SARS and Covid-19. Chinese traditional medicines role in fight against the covid-19 pandemic is one the significant innovations in human history that should be well recorded.
In this regards, on the behalf of the government and people of Ethiopia, I would like to pass my sincere gratitude to the people and government of China for the indispensable role and support accorded to us during our fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen’s
In the same token, being one of the ancient civilizations in the world, Ethiopia also shares important history in traditional medicines development. Plants have been used as a source of medicine in Ethiopia from time immemorial to treat different ailments. This is often linked to ethnic and cultural diversity coupled with an array of unique flora and fauna that are employed as the prime-tools in the fight against numerous health problems. Even with the advent of modern medicine, this indigenous health care delivery system is the major source of care for an estimated 80% of the population. More than 95% of traditional medical preparations are of plant origin which laid its foundation on the Ethiopian flora that contains between 6500 and 7000 species of higher plants of which about 12% are endemic.
However, despite these riches and the undergoing efforts by the government of Ethiopia to align the traditional and modern medicines industries, the sector hasn’t found a significant trajectory because of several reasons. One among many is the lack of significant research and development centers and trivial funding. In this regard, Ethiopia is more than ever before has a readiness to grasp the best Chinese practices to institutionalize its traditional medicine industry.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen’s
In its quest for development, Ethiopia has undertaken a far-reaching cross-sectoral programmes of socio-economic reforms over the last two decades. The Government of Ethiopia has invested heavily in health system strengthening guided by its pro-poor policies and strategies resulting in significant gains in improving the health status of Ethiopians. As a result, Ethiopia has done remarkably well in meeting most of the global targets.
Mainly, the overall desire of The Government of Ethiopia is to have the highest possible level of health and quality of life for all its citizens, attained through providing and regulating a comprehensive package of promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative health services of the highest possible quality in an equitable manner. Over the last 20 years, the country has successfully implemented several strategies which geared towards expanding and rehabilitating primary health care facilities. To this effect, over seventeen thousand health posts, over 3706 health centers and 353 public hospitals have been constructed. In parallel to the construction of health facilities, investment in human resource development and management has been scaled up; reformed supply chain and logistics management to ensure continuous availability of health commodities at an affordable price in a sustainable manner.
Cognizant of the pivotal role of pharmaceuticals and other health care technologies, the Government of Ethiopia has designed and implemented pharmaceutical sector development plan and strategy which set foreign direct investment as a priority. Despite the favorable investment conditions and promising results, the country still fulfills 85 percent its pharmaceuticals needs through direct importations. In order to curb these underlining challenges, the Ethiopian government has heavily invested in development several physical infrastructures such pharmaceutical industrial parks and cold chains supply system that primarily aims to attract Foreign Direct Investment.
Ethiopia is best suited to attract FDI in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry due to the presence of a conducive environment in the country including; economic growth and development; accessibility to local and opportunity for regional market; clear development plan, policy on local preference and protection of local manufacturing; and an effective regulatory system that strives to ensure safety, efficacy and quality of medicines. The government is continuously strengthening incentive by introducing several new packages to increase the number of international GMP certified manufacturers with WHO prequalified products, diversify exportation, encourage the development of new formulations and utilization of indigenous traditional medicines. The Government also adopted some initiatives, such as pooled procurement to minimize the cost of importation of active pharmaceutical ingredients for the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.
In additions, over the past years, Ethiopia has been one of the major exporters of natural ingredients used for production of traditional Chinese medicines, most notably, mastic and myrrh. Giving the abundance of these natural resources and to gradually integrate Chinese traditional medicines in Ethiopia’s, I highly recommend Chinese companies to conduct a market research pertinent for their prior investment in this sector.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen’s
I believe the cooperation in traditional Chinese medicines with developing countries can help preserve and document their own traditional healing practices. This exchange of knowledge can lead to a richer understanding of healthcare systems worldwide and the development of new approaches that blend traditional and modern medicine. In addition, TCM products and services, including herbal medicines and acupuncture, have a significant market globally. Developing countries can tap into this market by exporting TCM products, thus boosting their economies.
In conclusion, Chinese traditional medicine holds cultural, healthcare, economic, and research importance, making it a valuable asset in cooperation with developing countries which promotes the safe, effective, and sustainable integration of TCM into global healthcare systems.
I wish a successful deliberation of this forum.
Thank you!
Xie Xie!