WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was delivering his report back to the 76th World Well being Meeting, the UN company’s decision-making physique, which is assembly this week.
Menace nonetheless stays
“The top of COVID-19 as a world well being emergency shouldn’t be the tip of COVID-19 as a world well being risk,” Tedros advised Member States.
“The specter of one other variant rising that causes new surges of illness and dying stays, and the specter of one other pathogen rising with even deadlier potential stays.”
Moreover, within the face of overlapping and converging crises, “pandemics are removed from the one risk we face”, he added, underscoring the necessity for efficient world mechanisms that handle and reply to emergencies of every kind.
“When the subsequent pandemic comes knocking – and it’ll – we should be able to reply decisively, collectively, and equitably,” he suggested.
Well being targets impacted
Tedros mentioned COVID-19 had important implications for health-related targets below the Sustainable Growth Objectives (SDGs), which have a deadline of 2030.
The pandemic additionally affected progress in the direction of the Triple Billion targets, introduced on the 2017 World Well being Meeting.
The five-year initiative requires making certain one billion extra folks have common well being protection, a billion extra are higher protected against well being emergencies, and one other billion extra take pleasure in higher well being and wellbeing.
Motion on SDGs
Tedros reported that international locations have made progress on common well being protection, with some 477 million folks now benefitting. Nevertheless, he warned that if present tendencies proceed, fewer than half the world’s folks might be coated by the tip of the last decade, “that means we should no less than double the tempo”.
COVID-19 additionally confirmed that eight billion folks – principally everybody on the planet – must be higher protected in emergencies.
“The pandemic has blown us off track, however it has proven us why the SDGs should stay our north star, and why we should pursue them with the identical urgency and dedication with which we countered the pandemic,” he mentioned.
Selling well being, stopping illness
Tedros additionally highlighted a number of achievements which have been revamped the previous yr in what he known as the “5 Ps”: selling, offering, defending, powering, and performing for well being.
Nations have taken motion to advertise well being by stopping illness and addressing their root causes, for instance. Between 2017 and 2022, 133 governments elevated or launched a brand new tax on merchandise that hurt well being, corresponding to tobacco and sugary drinks.
“We additionally see encouraging progress in eliminating industrially-produced trans-fat from the worldwide meals provide,” he mentioned. “Many international locations have additionally made spectacular progress in lowering salt consumption, a number one threat issue for heart problems.”
Stamp out polio
On safety, Tedros famous that with the tip of COVID-19 and mpox as world public well being emergencies, solely polio now stays.
Following an all-time low of 5 wild poliovirus instances in 2021, numbers elevated final yr, with 20 instances in Pakistan, two in Afghanistan, and eight in Mozambique.
He burdened that WHO and companions “stay steadfastly dedicated to ending the job of consigning polio to historical past”.
The Sustainable Growth Objectives are a blueprint to realize a greater and extra sustainable future for all.
New pandemic accord
Tedros concluded his remarks by urging international locations to “decide up the tempo of progress” on the Triple Billion and health-related SDG targets.
He known as for pressing and constructive negotiations on the brand new world pandemic accord and the Worldwide Well being Laws (IHR), the treaty that governs preparedness and response to well being emergencies, “so the world won’t ever once more should face the devastation of a pandemic like COVID-19”.
He additionally requested international locations to assist a 20 per cent improve of their contributions to assist the work of WHO.
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