Your Excellency Minister Sitharaman,
Your Excellency Governor Das,
Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
I will start by offering my heartfelt condolences to the people of Türkiye and the Syrian Arab Republic.
I offer my thanks to the government of India for its leadership of the G20 this year.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a demonstration of the intimate links between global health and the global economy. And it has reminded us that when one is damaged, both suffer.
But 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 only number 27 out of 32 perceived risks over 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 and quite the contrary.
At a time when health systems are scarred from the pandemic and are badly in need of support, it is especially alarming that fiscal space for investment in public health preparedness is rapidly contracting, as the World Bank outlined in its recent "double shock" report.
We must see health not as a cost, but an investment in security, stability, and economic development.
This makes it all the more important that finance and health work in concert to recover and rebuild.
To do that, we need better pandemic preparedness and we need better, sustainably financed health systems.
This will not only help us get back on track for the global health goals, but will help to protect economies from future health shocks, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
I therefore urge you to maintain your focus on the health-related SDGs and to keep up the momentum to adopt the legally-binding international accord on pandemic preparedness and response, which will come before the World Health Assembly next year.
I also take this opportunity to thank all of you, and the co-chairs of the Joint Finance and Health Taskforce, Indonesia and Italy, for their continued leadership of this landmark, collaborative effort
WHO is pleased to host the Taskforce Secretariat and appreciates the vital role and collaboration of the World Bank.
I'd like to highlight three critical priorities as we move forward together:
First, we need to deliver on the priority areas you have identified for the Taskforce in 2023, so that the health and financial sectors will be ready for future pandemics.
This includes identifying best practices in the coordination between finance and health in response to COVID-19;
Solving the problem of surge financing will be a vital complement to our second priority: the Pandemic Fund, as David indicated.
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I urge you to increase your support and financing to the Pandemic Fund, which is crucial to bolstering the capacity of developing countries to invest in pandemic preparedness and response.
I welcome the Fund's upcoming call for proposals, its first.
Finally, for the third priority, as you have commendably committed to enhancing financing for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, particularly climate change and other cross-cutting areas, I urge you again, to prioritize health.
Excellencies, health and finance are inextricably linked, which is why our work together is so important.
I look forward to our continued collaboration to create stronger, more resilient health systems that underpin strong, resilient economies.
I thank you.
