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WHO / TEDROS EXECUTIVE BOARD
STORY: WHO / TEDROS EXECUTIVE BOARD
TRT: 07:11
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WHO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 22 JANUARY 2024, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, exterior WHO headquarters
22 JANUARY 2024, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. Various shots, press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“And as I look back on 2023, it is with mixed emotions. It was a year to celebrate, as we marked our 75th anniversary, and reflected on the many improvements in human health that we have been part of. There were also many achievements and milestones, including the end of COVID-19 and Mpox as global health emergencies. But it was also a year to mourn; a year marred by conflict, disaster and preventable disease and death.”
4. med shot, delegates
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“One of the biggest disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was to routine immunization programmes in many countries, leading to outbreaks of measles, diphtheria, polio and yellow fever. In April last year, we launched The Big Catch Up with UNICEF and GAVI, to support countries to shut down outbreaks and restore immunization programmes at least to pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, SAGE, last year recommended new vaccines for dengue, meningitis, and a second vaccine for malaria, the R21-Matrix M vaccine. Having two vaccines for malaria will help to close the huge gap between demand and supply, and could save tens of thousands of young lives, especially in Africa.”
6. Med shot, delegates
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“In May I declared an end to both COVID-19 and Mpox as global health emergencies, although both remain global threats. More than two-thirds of the global population has now received a complete primary series of a COVID-19 vaccine. COVAX, which closed at the end of last year, played a vital role, delivering nearly two billion doses and saving an estimated 2.7 million lives in lower-income countries. We continue to urge all Member States to maintain and reinforce the capacities they built during the pandemic as part of their commitment to preparedness for future emergencies. Meanwhile, there were many other crises demanding our attention last year. In all, WHO responded to 65 graded emergencies, from earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, to conflict and insecurity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine, and of course the occupied Palestinian territory, especially Gaza.”
8. Med shot, delegates
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“At the political level, world leaders at the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting agreed a strong political declaration, including a commitment to conclude negotiations on the pandemic agreement and amendments to the International Health Regulations by May this year. But I must say I am concerned that Member States may not meet that commitment. Time is very short, and there are several outstanding issues that remain to be resolved. In my view, a failure to deliver the pandemic agreement and the IHR amendments will be a missed opportunity for which future generations may not forgive us.”
10. Med shot, delegates
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“To promote, provide and protect health is the overarching goal of GPW14. Those three core priorities are supported by the fourth and fifth Ps – to power and perform for health. Powering health is about harnessing the power of science, research, digital technologies, data and communications to support countries most effectively to accelerate towards the SDG targets. In 2023, we supported 50 countries with a Delivery for Impact approach, which is a relentless, systematic and data-driven approach to implementation and delivering results.”
12. Med shot, Tedros speaking
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“Performing for health, means our continued work to build a stronger WHO. This builds on the seven pillars of the transformation, which we began six-and-a-half years ago, to strengthen our strategy, operating model, processes, partnerships, financing, workforce and culture. We are continuing to make progress in each of these areas. We’re rolling out of our new enterprise resource management system, the BMS; that is going to be replacing the current system. Our new supply chain strategy is enabling us to preposition supplies to respond to emergencies more effectively.”
14. Wide shot, press room
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):
“2024 will be a defining year for global health, and for our WHO. It is a year of opportunity. This year, you have the opportunity to shape the world’s global health strategy for the next four years, in the GPW14.
This year, you have the opportunity to shape the future of health emergencies, through the pandemic agreement and the amendments to the IHR. And this year, you have the opportunity to shape the future of this Organization, through the Investment Round. These are three big tasks. And I was saying to the Chair, this is very historic, actually, to focus on these very big issues that will shape the Organization for many years to come. And I urge you to seize these opportunities. Because they do not come very often.”
16. Various shots, end of briefing
Looking back on 2023, World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus today (22 Jan), expressed “mixed emotions” as there were “many achievements and milestones,” but was also “a year to mourn; a year marred by conflict, disaster and preventable disease and death.”
In his opening remarks to the WHO’s 154th session of the Executive Board, Dr. Tedros noted that in 2023, the organization had marked its 75th anniversary, and highlighted the end of COVID-19 and Mpox as global health emergencies.
He said, “one of the biggest disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was to routine immunization programmes in many countries, leading to outbreaks of measles, diphtheria, polio and yellow fever” and pointed out that in April last year, WHO had launched The Big Catch Up with UNICEF and GAVI, “to support countries to shut down outbreaks and restore immunization programmes at least to pre-pandemic levels.
The Organization also “recommended new vaccines for dengue, meningitis, and a second vaccine for malaria, the R21-Matrix M vaccine,” which “will help to close the huge gap between demand and supply, and could save tens of thousands of young lives, especially in Africa.”
The WHO Director-General said, “more than two-thirds of the global population has now received a complete primary series of a COVID-19 vaccine” and urged Member States “to maintain and reinforce the capacities they built during the pandemic as part of their commitment to preparedness for future emergencies.”
During the year, he said, “WHO responded to 65 graded emergencies, from earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, to conflict and insecurity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine, and of course the occupied Palestinian territory, especially Gaza.”
At the political level, Dr. Tedros continued, “world leaders at the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting agreed a strong political declaration, including a commitment to conclude negotiations on the pandemic agreement and amendments to the International Health Regulations by May this year.”
He said he was “concerned that Member States may not meet that commitment” as “there are several outstanding issues that remain to be resolved.”
Failure to deliver the pandemic agreement, he stressed “will be a missed opportunity for which future generations may not forgive us.”
On the WHO’s 14th General Programme of Work 2025–2028 (GPW 14), the Director-General spoke about the “5 Ps”, to promote, provide and protect, power and perform for health as “the overarching goal of GPW14.”
He said, “powering health is about harnessing the power of science, research, digital technologies, data and communications to support countries most effectively to accelerate towards the SDG targets.”
Performing for health, he added, “means our continued work to build a stronger WHO. This builds on the seven pillars of the transformation, which we began six-and-a-half years ago, to strengthen our strategy, operating model, processes, partnerships, financing, workforce and culture.”
2024, Dr. Tedros said, “will be a defining year for global health, and for our WHO. It is a year of opportunity.”
He said, “this year, you have the opportunity to shape the world’s global health strategy for the next four years, in the GPW14. This year, you have the opportunity to shape the future of health emergencies, through the pandemic agreement and the amendments to the IHR. And this year, you have the opportunity to shape the future of this Organization, through the Investment Round. These are three big tasks.”
154th session of the Executive Board opened today and will discuss priority topics, including health emergencies, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, and universal health.
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