Opening ceremony of the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly

Vice- President Usatii,
Minister Berset,
Director-General Chan,
Ministers
Excellencies,
Honoured guests,

It is a pleasure for me to welcome you to the Palais des Nations for the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly.

The efforts of the World Health Assembly to advance global public health are paramount to overall human development and are part of the holistic strategy focused on prosperity, peace and stability for all humankind.

As the target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals is fast approaching, a lively and engaged debate is taking place within and beyond the United Nations family on the content and form of the post-2015 agenda. Appropriately, the overarching theme for discussion this Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly is the challenge of how to ensure the place of health in the next post-2015 generation of global development goals.

Therefore, it is my privilege to read out the message of Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, as follows:

“It is a pleasure to convey my warm greetings to the 66th World Health Assembly.

With less than 1,000 days of action to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, you have gathered to make key decisions to reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, and combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other diseases.
We are seeing sustained commitment to implementing the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, and working towards saving 16 million lives by 2015 through the Every Woman Every Child movement.

The Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) adopted at the last World Health Assembly is a vital part of this effort. The development of better and more affordable vaccines and stronger health systems will save more than 20 million lives by 2020. Last month’s Global Vaccine Summit highlighted progress and called for renewed efforts to achieve the GVAP.

At this Assembly, you will consider a resolution on implementing the recommendations of the UN Commission on Life-saving Commodities for Women and Children. By improving access to just 13 basic medicines like contraceptives, antibiotics and oral rehydration salts, we can save 6 million lives within five years.

You will also examine a report on global efforts to prevent, control and eliminate malaria, with particular attention to steps to contain resistance to artemisinin, the key compound in the WHO-recommended first-line treatment.

The MDGs have undoubtedly been good for global health. As we shape plans for the post-2015 era, we must draw lessons from where we have succeeded and ensure that benefits are shared equitably. We must keep moving towards universal health coverage, so all people can have access to the health services they need without suffering financial hardship. We must build on what has been achieved through the MDGs, but also - as highlighted by the agenda you have set for this meeting - address other pressing health challenges such as noncommunicable diseases.

We must also remain poised to meet future needs. As the novel coronavirus and influenza H7N9 show, new public health challenges keep emerging. I know the World Health Organization will remain vigilant and support Member States in managing these outbreaks.

Once again, I thank you for all your efforts for better health around the world. Please accept my best wishes for a successful Assembly.” This is the end of the message of the Secretary-General.

I would like to add a couple of remarks to this message. The United Nations values its wide-ranging, cross-disciplinary collaboration with the World Health Organization. As you continue with your arduous work to reform the WHO and to ensure that the organization is able to more effectively deliver on its pivotal objectives, the United Nations looks forward to continuing and deepening our close collaboration at intergovernmental, interagency, regional, and country levels. I would also like to take this opportunity to commend Dr. Chan for her leadership of the WHO, and for ensuring that the Organization continues to play a leading role in delivering health to the most vulnerable around the globe and setting the standards of health care and policy worldwide.
So I wish you a most successful and productive Assembly.

Thank you.