Dr Kerstin Vesna Petrič, Chair of the Executive Board,
Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
I know you are tired and looking forward to going home - and so am I - so I will keep my remarks brief.
In the past nine days you have dealt with almost 50 agenda items and more than 30 resolutions and decisions.
I thank you especially for your work on the three strategic priorities we identified prior to the Executive Board.
First, I thank you for your support for the draft Programme Budget 2024-25, and its focus on strengthening our work in countries, while strengthening the normative and standard-setting work.
Second, I thank the Executive Board for the support you have expressed for sustainable, flexible and predictable financing, and for the idea of a replenishment.
In tandem, you have held important discussions about continued efforts to enhance governance, accountability and transparency, and on our continued work to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct.
We thank the Executive Board for its support for the Secretariat Implementation Plan on Reform, which aims to deliver the improvements you seek.
Third, I thank the Executive Board for its engagement on the critical issue of strengthening the global architecture for health emergency preparedness, response and resilience.
It's vital that we all maintain our focus on this critical issue.
There are already worrying signs that the cycle of panic and neglect is repeating.
The World Economic Forum's Global Risk Report, a survey of 1200 leaders that ranks the likely impact of risks, found that infectious diseases are only number 20 out of 32 perceived risks in the short term, and number 27 in the long term.
And in terms of risk preparedness, the same survey finds that leaders perceive infectious diseases as the risk for which the world is best prepared, after terrorist attacks.
We see things very differently.
The unfolding tragedy in Türkiye and the Syrian Arab Republic underlines how vital it is that all of us, as nations and as a global community, strengthen our preparedness for, response to, and resilience against, health emergencies.
I'm pleased to inform you that WHO's first flight with medical supplies and surgical trauma kits will leave arrive in Adana, Turkiye tomorrow afternoon.
The loads for the second and third flights, for Damascus, are ready to go, pending administrative clearance.
We will also be sending a high-level delegation to coordinate and oversee our response.
Excellencies, dear colleagues,
The agenda you are sending to the World Health Assembly reflects the huge scope of the Organization's work, and the scale of health challenges we face around the world:
Behavioural sciences; diagnostics; disabilities; drowning; infection prevention and control; medical devices; meningitis; mental health; polio; refugee and migrant health; rehabilitation; substandard and falsified medicines, traditional medicine and more.
You have also given us important guidance on well-being, health promotion, the social determinants of health and noncommunicable diseases.
As we celebrate our 75th anniversary, we face a year of great challenges:
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, continued conflict, climate change, outbreaks and more.
But we also face a year of great opportunities:
Negotiations on the pandemic accord and the International Health Regulations; high-level meetings on tuberculosis, universal health coverage and pandemic preparedness and response; and more.
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Together, we must meet the challenges in front of us, and seize the opportunities.
Thank you all once again for your work this week.
Dr Petrič, my special thanks to you for your outstanding leadership this week.
You have led us with a clear sense of purpose, and a good dose of humour.
We are reminded that in our fractured and divided world, health is one area in which Member States can come together to find shared solutions to shared problems.
As always, we need health for peace, and peace for health.
I look forward to working with all Member States to promote, provide, protect, power and perform for health.
Thank you so much, and all the best, and I wish you all safe travels.
