The 71st World Health Assembly opened at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on Monday.
The assembly opened with the appointment of the committee on credentials, as well as the election of the president and vice-presidents for the assembly.
Minister of Health and Child Welfare of Zimbabwe David Parirenyatwa was elected as the president of the 71st World Health Assembly.
In the opening note, Rawandan President Paul Kagame said: “Universal health coverage is an opportunity and not a burden in every respect. Universal health coverage is possible at all income levels. Strong political leadership will certainly be necessary at every stage. It is therefore helpful to regularly remind ourselves why universal health coverage is so transformational.”
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in his speech said: “We must act with a sense of urgency in everything we do, because every moment we lose is a matter of life and death.”
He also emphasized the importance of making an impact “where it matters most” in a country and called for governments to be proactive in finding solutions to health issues.
“Just last week, we launched a new initiative to eliminate trans-fats from the global food supply by 2023, and we have fast-tracked the development of our 13th General Program of Work (GPW). Its objective is to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable,” he added.
The WHO DG also said that the new GPW was not about “reinventing the wheel” but rather about making a bigger impact than that the WHO already was.
“The GPW is ambitious, and it must be. Too much is at stake for us to be modest. The vision set at our founding 70 years ago was not a modest vision. Our Constitution is not a modest document,” Dr Tedros added.
The WHO DG also identified three keys to success in tackling health issues.
“First, the GPW itself, which has been developed 12 months ahead of schedule, to establish our mission and strategic plan not only for my term, but for the long term,” he said.
“Second, a transformation plan, to make WHO more efficient and effective by streamlining the business practices that lead to wastage, slowing us down and holding us back. The plan has been developed and accepted by all regional directors, and is now being rolled out across the organization.
“Third, a strong senior leadership team, with deep experience and talent from all over the world.”
The WHO DG also emphasized investment in health services and capacity building, and shared the organizations plans to re-launch the WHO scholarship to enable students from low and middle income countries to study abroad.
“We’re strengthening our tripartite cooperation with FAO and OIE to fight antimicrobial resistance, based on a ‘One Health’ approach. We will be signing a new Memorandum of Understanding between the three agencies at the end of this month,” he added.
