WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing – 10 December 2024

Good afternoon, and a very warm welcome to our friends from ACANU to our final media briefing for 2024.

This year has been another challenging one for our world, and for the health of its people.

But there has also been much good news, and that's where I would like to begin.

This year, 9 countries were certified for the elimination of diseases:

Cabo Verde and Egypt became malaria-free; Brazil and Timor Leste eliminated lymphatic filariasis; India, Pakistan and Viet Nam eliminated trachoma; Jordan eliminated leprosy and Chad eliminated human African trypanosomiasis.

More than 12 million doses of malaria vaccines have been delivered in 17 countries in Africa using the new malaria vaccines we have;

Tobacco use continues to decline in 150 countries;

WHO prequalified a new vaccine against dengue;

We gave Emergency Use Listing to the first mpox vaccines and tests, and established a mechanism for equitable allocation of these products.

At the UN General Assembly in New York, world leaders committed to a range of measures to fight the spread of antimicrobial resistance;

In May, the World Health Assembly approved our global health strategy for the next four years;

Last month we concluded the first WHO Investment Round, with a surge in new donors helping us to mobilize upfront more than half of the funds we need for the next four years, that's as part of the WHO transformation with a major pillar of sustainable financing;

And next week I will have the honour of joining His Excellency President Macron of France to officially open the WHO Academy in Lyon. That's another pillar of our transformation which will have another milestone in the Academy.

===

So there are many reasons to celebrate. But there are also many reasons to mourn.

The wars in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine show no sign of ending, although we are grateful that the ceasefire in Lebanon appears to be holding.

These conflicts have caused untold death, destruction and displacement, and often, health care has been in the crosshairs.

So far this year, WHO has verified 1370 attacks on health care in 14 countries and territories, resulting in 805 deaths and 1545 injuries to health workers and patients.

The conflict in Gaza has also led to the reemergence of polio, although the vaccination campaign that WHO and our partners conducted appears to have been successful in preventing any further cases.

Meanwhile, the appointment in the last few hours of a transitional government in the Syrian Arab Republic is bringing new hope to a country that has suffered so much.

Since the military offensive began two weeks ago, hundreds of people have been severely injured, and an estimated 1 million people have been displaced, adding to the 7 million who were already displaced internally, and the 5 million who had left the country.

Health facilities in Aleppo and Idlib have been overwhelmed, some partners have suspended services, and 19 incidents of attacks on health care have been reported.

Meeting the health needs of displaced populations, and those who may now return to Syria, will put more strain on a health system that has already been weakened by more than 14 years of war.

I visited Aleppo, Idlib and Damascus last year and saw just how fragile the health system was.

Even before the recent offensive began, less than two-thirds of hospitals and primary care facilities were functional;

And almost 15 million people were already in need of urgent access to trauma and surgical care, treatment for noncommunicable diseases, maternal and child care, mental health support and more.

In the past two weeks, WHO has sent 11 trucks of trauma and surgical supplies through cross-border operations to the Aleppo and Idlib regions and we're scaling up efforts to distribute more essential medicines and supplies wherever needed.

Yesterday we also delivered trauma and surgical supplies to Al Mousat Hospital in Damascus, and we're working to support additional hospitals in the coming days.

Our teams are on the ground to assess the full scope of health needs, and to strengthen disease surveillance systems, as the risk of outbreaks, including of cholera, continues to grow.

Our focus remains on addressing urgent health needs, restoring essential health services, and working closely with partners to strengthen Syria's health system.

We call for all parties to facilitate safe and unimpeded humanitarian operations to reach people in need wherever they are.

In a country that has suffered so much, we hope that this new dawn for Syria will lead to sustained peace.

===

Meanwhile, the threat of outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics remains.

As you know, in August I declared a public health emergency of international concern over the outbreaks of mpox in Africa.

In September, Rwanda reported an outbreak of Marburg virus disease, which thankfully is under control now;

We've seen the concerning spread of H5N1 avian influenza to hundreds of dairy herds in the United States, with 58 human cases;

And while we are seeing progress against some diseases, we are losing ground against others.

New data from WHO and partners published this year showed a 71% increase in deaths from cholera in 2023 and a 20% increase in measles cases, while the number of adults living with diabetes has quadrupled since 1990, and has now passed 800 million.

Less than two weeks ago, WHO was informed of an undiagnosed disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that has now caused 416 reported cases and 31 deaths.

Most of the cases and deaths are in children under 14 years of age, in the district of Panzi, in the western Kwango province of DRC.

A provincial rapid response team was deployed on the 30th of November, which is now being supported by a national team of experts which arrived earlier today.

The affected area is remote, telecommunications are severely limited and access has been made harder by the rainy season. It has taken the national response team several days to reach Panzi.

The area also suffers from high levels of malnutrition and low vaccination coverage, leaving children vulnerable to a range of diseases including malaria, pneumonia, measles and others.

Of the 12 initial samples collected, 10 tested positive for malaria, although it's possible that more than one disease is involved.

Further samples will be collected and tested to determine the exact cause or causes.

===

The end of this month, the 31^st of December, will mark the fifth anniversary of the first reports to WHO of pneumonia caused by a then-unknown pathogen.

In the past five years, more than 7 million deaths from COVID-19 have been reported to WHO, but we estimate the true death toll to be at least three times higher.

We cannot talk about COVID in the past tense. It's still with us, it still causes acute disease and "long COVID", and it still kills.

On average this year, about 1000 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported to WHO each week - and that's just from the few countries that are still reporting.

The world might want to forget about COVID-19, but we cannot afford to.

WHO continues to support countries to prevent and manage COVID-19 alongside other health threats.

Today, WHO is releasing a package of policy briefs to help countries update their policies to monitor and reduce circulation of COVID-19, and to reduce illness, death and long-term consequences of the disease.

One of the questions I am asked most often is, is the world better prepared for the next pandemic than we were for COVID-19?

The answer is yes, and no.

If the next pandemic arrived today, the world would still face some of the same weaknesses and vulnerabilities that gave COVID-19 a foothold five years ago.

But the world has also learned many of the painful lessons the pandemic taught us, and has taken significant steps to strengthen its defences against future epidemics and pandemics.

Together with the World Bank, WHO established the Pandemic Fund, which is now financing 19 projects in 37 countries, with 338 million US dollars in grants.

WHO has supported many countries to strengthen their lab capacity to detect and sequence pathogens, and we established the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Germany to foster collaborative surveillance.

To improve local production of vaccines and other medical products, we established the mRNA Technology Transfer Hub in South Africa and a Global Training Hub for Biomanufacturing in the Republic of Korea;

To improve equitable access to lifesaving tools we established an interim Medical Countermeasures Network;

With partners we established the Global Health Emergency Corps;

In May this year, the World Health Assembly adopted a package of amendments to the International Health Regulations;

And as you know, our Member States continue to negotiate the WHO Pandemic Agreement.

They are committed to finalizing the Agreement in time for the World Health Assembly next May; I remain confident that they will.

===

Finally, this Thursday marks Universal Health Coverage Day.

Universal health coverage, or UHC, is one of WHO's top priorities. It means that all people have equitable access to the essential health services they need, without being exposed to financial hardship.

Shockingly, half the world's population cannot access one or more essential health services.

And while access to services has been improving globally, two billion people face financial hardship as a result of paying for medicines and health services.

That's why the theme of UHC Day this year is financial protection; so that families do not have to choose between medicines and meals; poverty or care.

When WHO was founded in 1948, our Constitution was the first document in international law to affirm that health is a fundamental right for all people, without distinction.

Today, on Human Rights Day, we continue to call on all countries to promote and protect the right to health, in both principle and practice.

Christian, back to you.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.