Africa: WHO Director-General's Opening Remarks At WHO Walk the Talk - the Health for All Challenge - 21 May 2023

21 May 2023
World Health Organization (Geneva)
press release

Your Excellency Mauro Poggia, President of the Grand Council of the Republic and Canton of Geneva;

The Right Honorable Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand;

Dear colleagues and friends,

A very good morning to all.

I am so happy to see so many people here today from all over the world for our fourth Walk the Talk: Health for All Challenge.

Thank you for coming. I hope you have been having fun, and are warmed up.

Thanks to Geneva University Hospital, the Mexican Mission, and our amazing entertainers for getting us ready for today's Walk the Talk.

Today is also a chance to come together to celebrate our common commitment to health for all, our work to overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to celebrate WHO's 75th anniversary.

I am especially grateful to welcome:

My sister Derartu Tulu, Ethiopia's Olympic gold medal winning champion;

My brother Paul Tergat, world marathon champion and Kenya's Olympic Committee President;

Fijian Olympian Danielle Alakija, who will be leading the master running group with Derartu and Paul;

Acclaimed poet and voice for youth and health, Mumbi Macharia, from Kenya;

Didier Fischer, President of the Group Grenat Foundation, that has brought so much sporting joy and success to Geneva through the Servette hockey, football and rugby women's and men's teams.

I also want to thank the superb entertainers who graced us today:

Sherrie Silver;

The Quick Style;

Lukresia Robai, the dancing Kenyan nurse;

And the Global Scrubs Choir.

To everybody from the Geneva community, to my many WHO colleagues, and to all the Member States and health partners who will be joining us at the 76th World Health Assembly that starts later today - I thank you.

In WHO's 75th year, we look forward to working with you all for a healthier, safer and more equitable world.

So have fun, team up together, and walk the talk for health for all.

I thank you.

Read the original article on WHO.

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