WHO Director General's remarks at the G20 Leaders’ Summit 18 November 2024

President Lula da Silva,

Last night I visited Cristo Redentor, Rio's iconic symbol of peace, which was illuminated in teal for cervical cancer elimination - marking 17 Novembe,r which is a day to call for action on cervical cancer elimination.

Eliminating cervical cancer is within reach, if we can give all girls and women access to vaccines, tests and treatments.

WHO's global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer is one example of the lifesaving work we do.

Over the past seven years, WHO has undergone a radical transformation to ensure we do that work as well as we can. Seven years ago, we started 51 initiatives. Here are some examples.

To support countries to achieve the health-related SDGs, we developed a new strategy based on outcomes and impact.

We invested, rightly, in science, data and digital technology, believing that digital technology is the future of health care.

We established the WHO Academy, the WHO Youth Council and the Civil Society Commission.

And based on lessons learned from COVID-19, we created the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence; the mRNA Technology Transfer Hub; and with the World Bank, the Pandemic Fund.

These reforms are about saving lives, preventing disease and making the world safer, based on country needs.

To do that, we rely on predictable, flexible funding from a broad range of donors.

The WHO Investment Round aims to mobilize US$7 billion to implement WHO's ambitious plan to save 40 million lives over the next four years.

I thank those who have pledged so far: the 18 Member States of the African Union, China, Germany, India, Malaysia, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Türkiye and the European Union. And today Spain.

And I would like to take this opportunity to thank his Excellency President Lula for hosting the WHO Investment Round.

Excellencies,

I ask you to commit to sustainable funding for WHO; eliminating cervical cancer; and to giving our world the medicine it needs most of all: peace.

Obrigado.

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