Country cooperation strategies
5-month-old baby boy, George, is held by his mother, Alowesi, as they wait for their turn at Galoa Nursing Station in Galoa, Fiji.
Working with countries
The Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) is WHO’s medium-term strategic framework to guide the Organization’s work in and with a country. The CCS outlines a set of agreed strategic priorities for WHO and the country to work together on which takes account of global and national priorities and areas where the Organization has a comparative advantage in leveraging a public health impact.
The CCS is aligned with WHO’s General Programme of Work (both GPW 13 and GPW 14), regional frameworks and flagship initiatives, while it also aims to accelerate the country’s progress towards achieving the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). CCS priorities also provide major input to the development of the health component of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework or its equivalent, and can serve as an accelerator for the health agenda adopted by the UN Country Team.
Included in the CCS are clearly defined impact targets for each of the agreed priorities. The timeframe – generally 4-6 years – is flexible, so as to align with planning cycles.
Key principles on which the CCS is based include:
- clearly specified strategic priorities and deliverables based on country needs and global and national directions;
- stronger alignment of resources, by making the CCS the basis for WHO’s strategic and operational planning; and
- an attainable and measurable results framework to demonstrate the impact of WHO support in countries and communities.
Country Cooperation Strategy Guide 2023