Building The Global Health Pillars

Hello everyone. I'm sure that many of you are interested in seeing the workplace of the world's leading and coordinating authority on public health. As you can see behind me, the campus of the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva is undergoing massive renovation and this transformation is not just about the building. WHO is also reforming its ways of working so that the most crucial and urgent health goals could be achieved for billions of people, especially the most vulnerable. To be closer to people, WHO has of course numerous country offices and six regional offices. In fact, these buildings in Geneva only house a portion of the WHO workforce. Globally, there are over 8,000 staff members working for WHO. Did you know the WHO was founded in 1948 with a constitution based on nine principles that to this day are still so important to each person everywhere in the world? Let me read you the first three and then you can discover the rest on our website. Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition. The health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security and is dependent on the full cooperation of individuals and states. As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us, we need to achieve health for all, leaving no one behind to build fairer, more prosperous and more stable societies and economies. The WHO works with its 194 member states, represented here by these flags, to accelerate global progress towards universal health coverage, also known as UHC. UHC means that all people have access to the health services they need when and where they need them, ensuring quality of care and without financial hardship. This will bring health services closer to communities through primary health care to ensure that health services remain available and accessible even during health emergencies and to find solutions to bring better health and well-being for all. The WHO headquarters is strategically situated in Geneva, Switzerland, in the area dedicated to international organizations and the permanent missions that represent the member states. It's a stone's throw away from the United Nations office where the World Health Assemblies are held. I'm here in front of the executive boardroom where some of the most important meetings in global health have been held since 1966. In this room, member states, organizations and partners are convened to make decisions on important public health issues. This is also the room where WHO all-staff meetings take place. The main functions of the executive board are to implement the decisions and policies of the World Health Assembly to advise and generally to facilitate its work. The World Health Assembly is the supreme decision-making body of the World Health Organization and its main function is to determine the policies of WHO, appoint the director general for a five-year term, and landmark global health decisions taken by member states decades ago continue to save lives today. Some examples are the eradication of smallpox, the international health regulations, and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, among others. Smallpox killed up to 300 million people in the 20th century. In May 1980, the World Health Assembly announced the eradication of smallpox across the globe thanks to a massive global immunization program implemented over the course of several years. Smallpox became the only disease ever to be eradicated from humanity. The international health regulations are an instrument of international law. 196 countries are legally bound by these regulations, which provide an overarching framework that defines countries' rights and obligations for handling all kinds of emergencies, including pandemics and natural disasters. When a disease outbreak could become a cross-border threat to more than one country and needs a coordinated international response, the WHO's director general can convene a group of independent experts advising him or her about the necessity to declare a public health emergency of international concern, known as PHEIC, and on the response measures needed. For instance, COVID-19 was declared a PHEIC on the 30th of January 2020. I'm declaring a public health emergency of international concern over the Such global alerts have numerous consequences on public health management, economies, transports, and how health authorities can deal with health misinformation, which is just as dangerous as the virus itself. Fear, worry, and stress are normal responses to health threats. That's what most people have experienced in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to its regular guidance on mental health issues, WHO, together with partners, have provided specific advice to health workers, managers of health facilities, and people all over the world, including vulnerable populations, to help us look after our mental health. Equity is critically important when responding to a pandemic. For that reason, on the 1st of December 2021, the 194 WHO member states agreed to begin negotiating an international instrument on how countries should respond to pandemics. This is the Strategic Health Operations Center, also known as the SHOC Room, dedicated to the surveillance of global health emergencies. In the 1960s and 70s, this room was the place of the movie theater of the WHO's headquarters. Years later, in 2004, this room was renovated to become the SHOC Room and was inaugurated by former WHO Director General Dr. Lee Jong-wook. Since the inauguration, WHO's response to major global crises were managed from here, such as H1N1 pandemic, the Ebola crisis in Africa, and COVID-19. To facilitate international cooperation during public health crises, WHO, together with member states and partner organizations, set up EOCNet, a global network of emergency operations centers and professionals. WHO's Strategic Health Operations Center is at the heart of this network. SHOC is a flexible operational platform for information sharing and response coordination to public health risks of potential international concern, leveraging state-of-the-art technologies. SHOC not only works with WHO headquarters, regional and country offices, but also with other public health agencies to gather and map real-time intelligence on disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and chemical emergencies. Our Emergencies Department is located on the first floor, but we have many other departments spread throughout the building that address other public health topics like non-communicable diseases, communicable diseases like polio, HIV-AIDS, influenza, and so much more. Other departments are dedicated, for instance, to the improvement of health systems, immunization, reproductive health, social determinants of health, and environmental health or climate change. Not so long ago, polio paralyzed thousands of children. Public institutions had to be closed to avoid its spread, travels to infected areas had to be limited, and quarantining affected numerous communities. But through scientific knowledge and tools such as vaccines, we've been able to reduce polio by more than 99 percent, and the world stands on the threshold of being polio-free. We now know how quickly infectious diseases can spread, and polio is no different. WHO's goal is, together with partners and member states, to eradicate polio for good and give the world one less infectious disease to worry about. The main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, and diabetes and mental health. NCDs are the number one cause of death and disability worldwide. Modifiable behaviors such as tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, and harmful use of alcohol increase the risk of NCDs. Tobacco is the single most preventable cause of premature deaths. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is unique, as it's the first treaty to be negotiated under the WHO umbrella. It took many years of preparatory work, and then negotiations by member states between 1999 and 2003. WHO brings together the best skills, scientific research, and evidence based on public health surveillance implemented as much as possible in all countries. This scientific evidence is analyzed with advice from technical experts from around the world. WHO engages with various stakeholders, including the public sector, non-governmental organizations, philanthropic foundations, private sector, and academic institutions. Global health partnerships have been established to raise visibility on unmet needs, support coordination, provide financial support to countries, and provide common platforms for working together. Let me now take you to the office of the WHO's Director General. This office has been the site of many high-level discussions with heads of states, presidents, ministers, ambassadors, and royals to make important public health decisions. For example, the Alma-Ada Declaration in 1978, which outlined the principles of primary health care. This called for national and international action to protect and promote the health of all. In 2019, world leaders adopted the high-level United Nations Political Declaration on Universal Health Coverage, a top priority for Director General Dr. Tedros. In addition to these high-level discussions, Dr. Tedros regularly opens his door to WHO staff and encourages them to share their crazy ideas. Many of these ideas have become major WHO initiatives. I hope that this tour of WHO's premises of Geneva has inspired you. It's just one of many other offices around the world from which WHO operates its surveillance and guiding role in health. Through so many decades since its creation in 1948, the World Health Organization has demonstrated that taking care of public health on a global level is so crucial to many aspects of humanity's life on earth. Whether we speak about education, working capacities, economies, or social and environmental issues, we all need to be working together to achieve healthier populations.