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- I want to start today by looking back, to where we have been over the past five years. The WHO Results Report for 2020-21 provides a detailed and interactive presentation of our work over the past two years against each of the “triple billion” targets. I commend it to you. Progress isn’t always fast or easy to measure. But in ways small and large, seen and unseen, I am proud to say that this Organization is making a difference.
- Underpinning all of these achievements is the transformation journey that we have been on for five years. There have been many calls for WHO to change. And there is no question that more change is needed.
- We still face many challenges. So we must look down, to see where we are now. As I said yesterday, the pandemic is far from over. And even as we continue to fight it, we face the task of restoring essential health services, with 90% of Member States reporting disruption to one or more essential health services.
- Allow me now to look forward, to where I believe we need to go in the next five years. At the meeting of the Executive Board in January — thank you to our chair of the board, Dr Amoth — I outlined my five priorities for the next five years. We are calling on every government to put the health of its people at the centre of its plans for development and growth.
- The pandemic has demonstrated why the world needs WHO, but also why the world needs a stronger, empowered and sustainably financed WHO. I welcome the recommendation of the Working Group on Sustainable Financing to increase assessed contributions to 50% of the core budget over the next decade. I also welcome the recommendation to consider a replenishment model, to broaden our financing base, and to provide more flexible funding for the programme budget.
Your Excellency Ahmed Robleh Abdilleh, Minister of Health of Djibouti and President of the 75th World Health Assembly,
