Statement by the Director-General to the UNICEF Executive Board
Mr President, Board Members, Ms Bellamy, Excellencies Colleagues,
Thank you very much for this opportunity to speak at the UNICEF Executive Board.
"Health for all" was proclaimed 25 years ago, on September 12, at the end of the International Conference on Primary Health Care in Alma-Ata, sponsored by WHO and UNICEF. It is a pleasure to be with you on this anniversary, and to look at some areas of our current and future work.
Health needs are at their most critical in the first years of life, and so our two organizations have always been natural partners in this pursuit of health for all. This has been our common objective since we came into existence after the end of the Second World War, and it remains so for the work that lies ahead. More fundamentally, the understanding that unites us is that health is for all, that everybody equally needs it, and our task is to do everything possible to meet that need.
One of the largest public health initiatives of all time is the polio eradication campaign, which has committed WHO UNICEF, Rotary International, CDC and many Member States since it began in 1988. This collaboration itself grew out of the success of UNICEF and WHO’s long-standing partnership in immunization programmes against preventable childhood diseases. In the polio campaign we organize and carry out vaccination activities together, often sharing the same facilities; we jointly support the work of the Ministry of Health; and, globally, we have a common plan, budget and fund-raising activities. There are only seven countries left now in which polio is still endemic. The spirit of cooperation between our two organizations in pursuing a common objective is the main strength that has brought us this far. It has also inspired the many other partners who are working with us on polio eradication, including governments, NGOs, business organizations and the local communities. It is this same partnership that will enable us to interrupt transmission in the remaining countries by the end of next year.
A key emphasis for WHO's work now is to get results in countries, particularly in the control of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. I have no doubt that by far the most effective way to achieve this is through partnerships. All three of these diseases have a devastating impact on children. Here again our historical partnership is indispensable. At the United Nations Millennium Summit three years ago, the global community committed itself to reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and controlling major infectious diseases. These three Millennium Development Goals have gained the support and commitment of world leaders and their constituencies on a scale we have not seen before. The other five goals are also directly relevant to the work of both UNICEF and WHO: it is impossible to pursue the health of all, particularly of children, without confronting on a daily basis, issues of poverty, education, gender equality, the environment and global partnership.
So we have this great common agenda in the coming years. It puts more pressure on us to get results, but it also gives us more authority to insist on realistic levels of support. I have placed emphasis on the control of HIV/AIDS because of the terrible devastation it is causing in developing countries for individuals, families and societies. Our aim is "3 by 5" - getting 3 million people living with HIV on to antiretroviral therapy by 2005. We have reached a point where we cannot only talk about prevention without also offering treatment.
In taking on AIDS, TB and malaria and the other MDG’s, our aim is not only to overcome present global danger but to support the rethinking and rebuilding of national health systems. The desperate need for retaining skilled human resources in the poorest countries, especially at the primary health care level, is of major concern. The prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, the Making Pregnancy Safer Initiative, and the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses, are key areas of our cooperation.
In May, the World Health Assembly adopted a strategy for child and adolescent health and development. The global consultation that produced this strategy was convened jointly by WHO and UNICEF in Stockholm last year.
In Liberia, to reduce cholera transmission, we have jointly launched a campaign for the chlorination of water in Monrovia. There were 900 cholera deaths in Malawi last year; there have been 58 this year.
In Iraq, we have been facing particularly difficult working conditions together, with dangers, shortages, hardships and uncertainties of every kind. The response of our staff - UNICEF and WHO combined - has been to work as one team. We carried out joint needs assessments, ensured a daily exchange of information, jointly chaired sector coordination meetings and sharing of transport and communication means as needs arose. A valuable outcome of our working together in crisis situations has been the Consolidated Appeals Process, in which we jointly assess all of the most urgent health needs in a given area.
As we have seen in Kosovo, Timor Leste and other places, this kind of coherence is also indispensable to prepare the way for the next step, which is to make the transition from relief to development.
I would also like to mention our efforts to stop children and adolescents from starting to smoke. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control needs to come into force as quickly as possible and its provisions must be implemented in countries. At present, 54 countries have signed and one country, Norway, has ratified. We need 39 more countries to ratify the Convention for it to take effect.
I will end by mentioning one more promising initiative. The Healthy Environments for Children Alliance was launched last year by a group of partners that included WHO, UNICEF and UNEP. We believe this Alliance will mitigate the many environmental dangers to health that children face, such as unsafe water, poor hygiene, air pollution, parasitic diseases, chemical hazards, and injuries. World Health Day next April will be devoted to Road Safety.
Mr President, Board Members,
Long experience has taught us that we can depend on each other's support. During my tenure, WHO will remain as a best friend of UNICEF, and a best friend of children in the world.
Thank you.