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It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, Nicholas (Fink) Haysom.

Mr. Haysom was appointed by the Secretary-General to his role at UNMISS in January 2021, bringing with him decades of distinguished service to the United Nations across Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and New York.

A seasoned mediator, diplomat and constitutional expert, he played crucial roles in progressing peace processes and governance reform in some of the world's most complex environments.

As the top United Nations official in South Sudan, Mr. Haysom was steadfast in his conviction that the international community stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of South Sudan in their journey of nation-building. He was committed to advancing a peaceful, inclusive, and democratic transition for the country, one that placed the aspirations and welfare of its citizens at the very foundation.

Mr. Haysom remained true to the ideals that shaped his early years, firmly believing that the will of the people must be the fulcrum upon which South Sudan shapes its political destiny.

These ideals were rooted in his upbringing and education in South Africa, where he left an indelible imprint as an anti-apartheid activist and lawyer upholding human rights. It is this lifelong passion for justice that fueled his dedication to public service, democracy, and the rule of law.

Mr. Haysom's principled leadership, wisdom, diplomatic skills, and unwavering commitment to a brighter future for South Sudan inspired not only UNMISS peacekeepers, but the communities we serve and all those whose lives he touched.

We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Haysom's family, loved ones, colleagues across the United Nations system, and to the Government and people of South Africa.

He will never be forgotten, and his legacy will continue to be a beacon of hope.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

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Health professions regulatory bodies, education leaders and technical experts from across the African Region have reached a landmark consensus on the Africa Health Professions Education Quality Standards (AHPEQS), establishing a shared continental framework to strengthen the quality, relevance and responsiveness of health professional training.

The agreement comes at a critical time for the Region, which faces a projected shortage of 6.1 million health professionals by 2030, driven by high attrition, outmigration and persistent mismatches between training outputs and evolving population health needs. In many countries, this challenge is compounded by a structural labour market paradox, where workforce shortages coexist with unemployment, particularly affecting primary health care and specialized services, and placing additional strain on fragile and vulnerable settings. 

Adopted during a three-day meeting in Potchefstroom, South Africa, the standards mark a decisive shift from expanding training capacity alone toward ensuring consistent quality, accountability and competence across health professions education systems. While the African Region has made significant progress in increasing training output, with more than 4,000 institutions producing over 225,000 graduates annually, concerns remain about the readiness of some graduates to meet increasingly complex health system demands. 

Evidence continues to highlight gaps in competencies, including challenges in diagnostic accuracy and clinical decision-making, underscoring the need for stronger, more harmonized education and accreditation systems. Variations in education quality, regulatory capacity and institutional performance have further contributed to inconsistencies in the delivery of safe, effective and people-centred care.

The newly adopted AHPEQS respond directly to these challenges by providing a comprehensive framework structured across nine domains and 35 standards, covering regulatory systems, institutional governance, curriculum and educational processes, student selection and support, academic and support staff, infrastructure and technology, institutional quality assurance, partnerships, and health workforce competence. Together, these standards establish a common reference for countries to strengthen accreditation, improve institutional performance and ensure that health professionals are equipped with the competencies required to respond to evolving health needs.

The consensus, formalized through the Potchefstroom Consensus, reflects a growing recognition among countries and partners that improving health outcomes depends not only on increasing the number of health workers, but also on ensuring the quality and relevance of their education. It also aligns with continental priorities, including the African Union's Agenda 2063, which promotes the development of a competent workforce and the free movement of health professionals across the continent. 

“We are collectively shaping a continental architecture for health professions education that reflects African realities, responds to African health priorities and is built on African leadership and consensus” said Dr Adelheid Onyango, Director of Health Systems Strengthening at the WHO Regional Office for Africa.

Participants also issued a strong call to action to accelerate implementation of the standards. The World Health Organization was urged to work with the African Union, Regional Economic Communities and partners to finalize technical guidance, benchmarking tools and supporting materials, and to support countries in adopting and operationalizing the standards. Member States were encouraged to integrate the standards into national regulatory, accreditation and curriculum review processes, while regulatory bodies and training institutions were called upon to advance competency-based education, strengthen collaboration and leverage innovation to improve learning outcomes. 

The AHPEQS form part of the broader Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026–2035, which aims to educate, employ and retain an additional three million health workers across the continent. Building on the development of regional prototype competency-based curricula launched in 2025, the standards represent a critical next step in aligning education systems with health system needs and ensuring that investments in workforce development translate into improved service delivery and better health outcomes.

“These standards will support countries to strengthen accreditation systems, enhance accountability and improve comparability of qualifications, while also advancing mutual recognition and mobility of health professionals across borders” said Dr James Avoka Asamani, Health Workforce Team Lead at WHO Regional Office for Africa.

With the adoption of the AHPEQS, countries across the African Region have taken a significant step toward ensuring that health professionals are not only trained in greater numbers, but are equipped with the skills, competencies and professionalism required to deliver quality care and advance progress toward universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.