WHO Director-General's remarks at the 74th session of the Regional Committee for Europe – 29 October 2024

Your Excellency President of the Regional Committee, Dr Rafila

Outgoing President Dr Azham Giniyat,

Madame Zhyparisa Rysbekova,

Commissioner Stella Kyriakides,

Regional Director Dr Hans Kluge,

Youth representative and member of the WHO Youth Council Katja Čič,

Honourable Ministers and heads of delegation,

Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,

Good morning, bonjour, guten tag, privet and goddag.

I would actually like to start by thanking the House of Swag. It is okay not to be okay. I fully understand the pain and suffering of many due to mental health, and I commend them and thank them for their excellent performance; it reminded us of all the suffering at the height of the pandemic. Mental health is an important issue for all us.

Thank you to the House of Swag not only for your performance but for the important message you passed today. I also take the opportunity to invite you to our next World Health Assembly, because this is an important message that deserves all our attention.

It's an honour to be with you once again, and an honour to be back in Copenhagen.

As you know, Denmark has a special significance in my life and career - I studied here in 1988, and it was here that I had health insurance for the first time in my life, I was so impressed because it was free from entry to exit. You pay nothing. That experience shaped me in many ways, especially in my strong belief in universal health coverage.

So I thank Denmark for the legacy it gave me, and for its hospitality in hosting both the WHO Regional Office for Europe, and this Regional Committee meeting.

Again, tak skal du have Denmark.

I congratulate the Regional Director on both his annual report, and the Country Impact report, which paint a comprehensive picture of the region's work over the past year, and the past five years, across the four flagship initiatives: the Mental Health Coalition; Empowerment through Digital Health; the European Immunization Agenda 2030 and Healthier Behaviours - incorporating behavioural and cultural insights.

There are so many encouraging signs of progress in the reports, and in the progress reports that you will review this week.

You have many achievements of which to be proud:

In Armenia, increasing HPV vaccine uptake;

Azerbaijan becoming malaria-free, which makes me happy as I am a malaria expert and when I retire I will return to that;

In Belarus, Hepatitis B close to elimination;

In Latvia, reduced copayments for medicines;

In Lithuania, reduced alcohol consumption, and fewer alcohol-related cancers and liver cirrhosis;

In Slovenia, decreasing tobacco use;

In Slovakia, an 85% TB treatment success rate;

Türkiye's regulatory system reaching maturity level 3;

And just a few months ago, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia agreed to a declaration on protection from tobacco smoke.

These are just a few highlights; there are many more - too many to mention.

I'm also very pleased to see the way that many Member States are using behavioural and cultural insights, to increase cancer screening, flu vaccination, and exclusive breastfeeding; and to reduce the consumption of tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks.

Despite these many achievements, of course you face many challenges, which are also reflected in the Regional Director's reports, and in your agenda this week:

Ageing populations;

High rates of premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases, especially related to tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy diets;

A high burden of drug-resistant TB;

Vast inequalities in access to, and affordability of, health services;

A shortage of health workers;

The steady march of antimicrobial resistance;

The mounting health impacts of climate change;

Conflict, a refugee crisis, and the ever-present threat of epidemics, pandemics and other health emergencies.

esponding to these many threats depends on strong health systems in all countries.

The region is home to a wide diversity of health systems. Some are more mature than others, and you face different challenges.

But the aim is the same: to provide equitable access to the essential health services that people need, without exposing them to financial hardship.

So I welcome the Framework for resilient and sustainable health systems, with its eight priority action areas, building on the vision set by the Tallinn Charter more than 15 years ago.

I urge all Member States to adopt the Framework, and to take immediate action to implement it.

Of course, the health needs of populations, the threats they face, and the tools available to meet those threats are always evolving, and we must evolve with them.

Innovation has always been the engine of progress in public health, and that remains the case - not just in the use of new technologies, but also in health policy, health service delivery, health financing, health workforce education, and much more.

The proposal to develop a new strategy to harness the power of innovation for public health is therefore very welcome, and I look forward to seeing the result of this process.

Strong, resilient and innovative health systems are vital for meeting both the everyday health needs of populations, and for responding to health emergencies.

From the ongoing conflicts in Israel and Ukraine, the refugee crisis in Armenia, last year's earthquakes in Türkiye, extreme weather events and the spread of mpox, the European region faces emergencies of all kinds.

And the COVID-19 pandemic showed us that even some high-income countries with the most advanced medical care were taken by surprise and overwhelmed.

So I welcome the new regional strategy and action plan for Health emergency preparedness, response and resilience that you will consider this week, as well as the regional action plan for Emergency Medical Teams.

As you know, at this year's World Health Assembly, Member States made significant steps towards strengthening health emergency preparedness, prevention and response.

The adoption of a set of amendments to the International Health Regulations, and the agreement to conclude negotiations of the WHO Pandemic Agreement before next year's Assembly, or sooner, are major achievements.

Although Member States have made progress on the Pandemic Agreement, some of the most crucial issues remain unresolved.

I urge all Member States to continue listening to each other - within the region and beyond - to continue to seek common ground, and to conclude a strong agreement by the end of this year if possible - and I believe it is possible, because the pending issues can be managed. There is a middle ground for all the contentious issues that are remaining. It is in your shared interest to do so. And I repeat, I have seen the document in detail, it is possible to conclude it this year.

We cannot prevent every emergency, but there are some we can stop at any moment, if we choose to: the emergencies we create ourselves through conflict.

More than two years of conflict in Ukraine, and more than one year of conflict in Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory and now Lebanon show us once again that war solves nothing - not for the people of Ukraine, not for the people of the Russian Federation, and not for the people of Israel.

Yesterday's vote by Israel's Knesset banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory is deeply disturbing. It further degrades the already grossly under-equipped humanitarian response that is able to operate in Gaza, at a time it is needed most.

It also contravenes Israel's obligations and responsibilities. These bills will not make Israel safer - they only deepen the suffering of Palestinians.

UNRWA, the UN agency, is an irreplaceable lifeline to the Palestinian people, and it has been for the past seven decades.

I continue to call on Israel to end its wars in Gaza and Lebanon, as I continue to call for the release of all hostages being held in Gaza, and also I call upon the Russian Federation to end its war with Ukraine.

What the people of Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and the Russian Federation need is not more war; they need a ceasefire, a political solution, and peace. And it is possible.

The best medicine is peace. I have said it many times. I am a war child. The only thing I have seen from childhood is destruction, destruction, destruction. But ultimately the solution is peace and a political solution.

I repeat, the best medicine is peace.

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Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,

The priorities you will discuss this week are well aligned with the 14^th General Programme of Work, which Member States adopted at this year's World Health Assembly.

GPW14 incorporates lessons from the past, the realities of the present, and our aspirations for the future.

It's based on a clear mission to promote, provide and protect health and well-being for all people, in all countries, and to save 40 million lives over the next four years.

To support the implementation of GPW14, we have launched the first WHO Investment Round, which aims to mobilize the sustainable and predictable resources we need to do our work.

Of course, we well understand that Member States expect a strong return on investment from the resources they entrust to WHO - and so they should.

We are committed to continuing the journey of transformation that we began more than seven years ago, to make WHO more effective, efficient, transparent, accountable and results oriented.

One of our key priorities now is to strengthen our country offices to provide more predictable, more stable and more tailored support to Member States.

I am pleased that WHO country representatives have been empowered through greater delegation of authority, along with enhanced capacity and positions in country offices, to meet Member State needs.

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Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,

I leave you with three requests:

First, I urge all Member States to engage actively in negotiations for the Pandemic Agreement, and to complete it by the end of this year.

Second, I urge all Member States to implement the 14^th General Programme of Work.

And third, I urge all Member States and partners to participate in the WHO Investment Round, while thanking you for the generous support received at the World Health Summit in Berlin, under the leadership of Chancellor Scholz.

Thank you all once again for your commitment to promoting, providing and protecting health, for all people of Europe.

I thank you. Merci beaucoup. Vielen dank. Spasiba. Tak skal du have.

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