WHO Director-General's remarks at the 75th session of the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific – 22 October 2024

Honourable Minister Rose Toki-Brown,

Outgoing Chair, the Honourable Minister Jaafar,

Regional Director Dr Saia Ma'u Piukala

Honourable Ministers and heads of delegation,

Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,

Good morning, and I apologise that I cannot be with you in person. I have just returned from Rwanda where there is a Marburg outbreak.

I congratulate the Regional Director on his first report, which paints a comprehensive picture of the region's work over the past year.

There are so many encouraging signs of progress in the report, and in the various progress reports that you will review this week.

You have many achievements of which to be proud, especially in disease control.

The Mekong Malaria Elimination Programme is a standout success, driving a more-than 90% reduction in cases and a 70% reduction in deaths over six years in Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Viet Nam.

I also congratulate Viet Nam for being verified for the elimination of trachoma, which you will celebrate together today.

Many Member States have made progress towards eliminating other neglected tropical diseases, including leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, rabies, schistosomiasis and yaws, along with school deworming programmes and water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives.

In your fight against NCDs, I congratulate Cambodia for banning marketing of alcohol near schools and at sports events, Cook Islands for passing new tobacco control legislation, Fiji for raising taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks, Lao PDR for implementing plain packaging, Malaysia for banning the sale of e-cigarettes to children, and the Philippines for the Healthy Hearts Program, which has achieved high rates of hypertension control.

On emergencies, I commend the Regional Office for its effective response to the increasing number of dengue outbreaks in the region, and to this year's dzud in Mongolia.

We should all be grateful that the region has been spared the number and scale of emergencies that other regions have faced in the past year.

But you have been far from idle. I commend Member States, supported by the Regional and Country offices, for the hard work you have done on emergency prevention and preparedness, by strengthening lab capacity, establishing national emergency medical teams, and through IHR self-assessments and Joint External Evaluations.

As you know, at this year's World Health Assembly, Member States made significant steps towards strengthening health emergency preparedness, prevention and response.

The adoption of a set of amendments to the International Health Regulations, and the agreement to conclude negotiations of the WHO Pandemic Agreement before next year's Assembly, or sooner, are major achievements.

Although Member States have made progress on the Pandemic Agreement, some of the most crucial issues remain unresolved.

I urge all Member States to continue listening to each other - within the region and beyond - to continue to seek common ground, and to conclude a strong agreement by the end of this year if possible. And I know it is possible to conclude this year. It is in your shared interest to do so.

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Excellencies,

Despite your many achievements, you face many challenges, which are also reflected in your agenda.

Like many regions, the Western Pacific has seen significant improvement in health service coverage, but worsening financial protection.

So I welcome the draft Regional framework for health financing, with its five action domains on public funding, more equitable and efficient spending, primary health care, governance and economic and social policy.

Another key challenge for the region is realising the potential of digital health, which is largely untapped in many parts of the region.

So I likewise welcome the draft Regional Action Framework on Digital Health, and its five action domains on governance, infrastructure, finance, digital solutions and data.

The three panel discussions on primary health care, oral health and climate resilience are also good opportunities for Member States to share experiences on key issues.

Meeting all these challenges requires a strong, clear plan, so I commend Dr Saia for his new vision for the region, Weaving Health for Families, Communities and Societies.

This new vision sets clear priorities for both Member States and the Regional and country offices, supported by headquarters.

I look forward to seeing the five-year targets that you set together.

These priorities are well aligned with the 14^th General Programme of Work, which Member States adopted at this year's World Health Assembly.

GPW14 incorporates lessons from the past, the realities of the present, and our aspirations for the future.

It's based on a clear mission to promote, provide and protect health and well-being for all people, in all countries, and to save 40 million lives over the next four years.

To support the implementation of GPW14, we have launched the first WHO Investment Round, which aims to mobilize the sustainable and predictable resources we need to do our work.

We look forward to your participation at today's Investment Round event.

Of course, we well understand that Member States expect a strong return on investment from the resources they entrust to WHO - and so they should.

We are committed to continuing the journey of transformation we began more than seven years ago, to make WHO more effective, efficient, transparent, accountable and results oriented.

One of our key priorities now is to strengthen our country offices to provide more predictable, more stable and more tailored support to Member States.

I am pleased that WHO country representatives have been empowered through greater delegation of authority, along with enhanced capacity and positions in country offices, to meet Member State needs.

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Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,

I leave you with three requests:

First, I urge all Member States to engage actively in negotiations for the Pandemic Agreement, and to complete it by the end of this year.

Second, I urge all Member States to implement the 14^th General Programme of Work, and the new vision for the region set out by my brother Dr Saia.

And third, I urge all Member States and partners to participate in the WHO Investment Round.

Thank you all once again for your commitment to promoting, providing and protecting health, for all people of the Western Pacific.

I thank you.

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