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Minister Brown,
Distinguished Ministers,
It is an honour indeed for me to visit your country
and to have the opportunity to address the Standing Committee on
Health.
Since 1998, when I became the Director-General of
the World Health Organization, I have seen first hand the very
important role that Canada plays in health and equity. Yesterday, I
met with a number of Canadian cabinet ministers, government officials,
and representatives from non-governmental organizations.
We spoke of the need to invest in global public
health, recognizing that putting resources into health is an investment
in our common future: sustainable development and poverty
eradication in times of recession and uncertainty.
The work of WHO’s Commission on Macroeconomics
and Health again confirms the strong link between ill health and
poverty, particularly among the 2.5 billion people who live on less
than US$ 2 per day. I established this independent commission, headed
by Harvard professor Jeffrey Sachs, because I knew, from my experience
as a former Prime Minister, the importance of demonstrating the
economic link between investing in health and development.
We know that good health is a pre-requisite for
earning, learning, and taking advantage of opportunities to emerge
from poverty and that is the objective of the work we do.
Yesterday, I had very constructive discussions with
the highest levels of Canadian policy and decision makers about the
growing political commitment to action for health equity, particularly
in the areas of infectious diseases, noncommunicable diseases and
illnesses of pregnancy and childhood. We also discussed other
health-related issues that are important to Canadians, including
disease surveillance, food safety and security, and bio-ethics. Canada
has shown its dedication to the efficient use of funds to achieve
results in the health field. Canada's multilateral focus has led to
the roll back of diseases of poverty, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis
and malaria, better nutrition and child health.
We have also seen Canada’s active role in the
United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, Canada’s
initial vital support for the Global TB Drug Facility, and your
generous CAN$ 150 million pledge to the new Global AIDS and
Health Fund.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched the Fund,
when I was with him in Abuja, Nigeria, this past April. A Transitional
Working Group is currently establishing the Fund in Brussels. The
objective of this Fund is to get vital and proven interventions -
particularly in the areas of HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria - to those
people who so desperately need them. It will no longer be business as
usual.
The fund has already received pledges of US$ 1.4
billion, before it is even established. And this is only the start.
With the commitment and support of G7 countries, including Canada,
private donors and others, we hope that this Fund will be a source of
new investment in health care and poverty eradication, to the tune of
US$ 7 to 9 billion per year.
We also see in Canada and around the world,
unprecedented joint action between governments, civil society, NGOs,
researchers, the private sector and the international community,
widely speaking. This joint action has allowed us to establish the
best strategies for tackling HIV/AIDS, to seek public involvement in
the implementation of these strategies, and to scale up action with
special attention to monitoring progress.
One exceptional example of productive and
life-saving public/private interaction is the Global Alliance for
Vaccines and Immunization, GAVI. Canada’s commitment to GAVI and to
improving the health and well-being of children through immunization
is noteworthy. The Canadian International Development Agency was the
first development agency present at the early meeting that led to the
launch of this new Alliance back in 1999. This commitment is ongoing
and today Minister Maria Minna made a very generous pledge to the
Vaccine Fund during the GAVI Board meeting which is taking place here
in Ottawa today.
Through such interactions, we have seen
breakthroughs in research, for instance in the areas of life-saving
medicines, increased access to and the slashing of prices for many
essential drugs, including those that combat TB and prevent mother to
child transmission of HIV.
Canada has also played a key role in WHO’s
Tobacco Free Initiative and in the ongoing work on the Framework
Convention for Tobacco Control. With your work to reduce tobacco
consumption and strictly regulate use and advertising, your country
serves as a role model to the entire world.
And, Canada plays a key role in the Global
Surveillance and Response Network, a network of 72 organizations
that together monitor and respond to disease and illness outbreaks.
This network allows us to identify and respond rapidly to infectious
disease outbreaks, such as the recent outbreak of yellow fever in
Côte d’Ivoire, as well as to deliberate attacks, such as what we
are now experiencing with anthrax.
Another priority for WHO is mental health. This
month WHO issued the World Health Report 2001. It is dedicated
to Mental Health and its title is New Understanding, New
Hope. Our aim is to breakdown the stigma and discrimination
associated with mental and brain disorders; disorders that account for
almost one-third of the global burden of disease.
I very much look forward to next year's G8 summit.
Your Prime Minister, is dedicated to focusing the work of this summit
on the health issues of one of the poorest parts of the world, Africa.
Canada and WHO have pledged to work together to address these vital
health equity issues. This is one more example of Canada’s
recognition that investment in health is investment in development.
Thank you very much.
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