The World Health Organization and the Hong Kong-based charity GX Foundation have reached consensus on public health projects, including combating dengue fever, after discussions in Switzerland earlier this week.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, posted online early Tuesday morning that he had met Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and chairman of GX Foundation, and the foundation’s CEO, Emily Chan Ying-yang. The meeting was held on Monday, local time.

Ghebreyesus praised GX Foundation’s dedication to eliminating cataracts and vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria. “I was impressed by the foundation’s focus on practical solutions tailored to the local health needs of the countries where it operates, building local capacities for long-term results and strengthening community engagement, which is critical to achieving disease elimination,” his post read.

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The foundation, in its own Tuesday social media post, noted the discussions were focused on the breadth of its ongoing work, covering a suite of its active medical and public health programs in 10 countries across four continents; both sides agreed to strengthen collaboration in areas such as dengue fever prevention and control.

Leung thanked the WHO for its recognition and support of the charity’s work in the project countries, the foundation said in the post.

It added that Leung further committed the foundation to deepening technical cooperation with the WHO, especially in the field of dengue fever control.

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The foundation – launched in 2018 as a non-governmental charitable organization dedicated to providing medical humanitarian assistance to economies engaged in the Belt and Road Initiative – currently operates projects in nations such as Honduras, Laos, Cambodia and Djibouti.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com