Honorable President of the IPU, my brother Martin Chungong,
Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It’s an honour to be here. Thank you so much for inviting me to speak at this Assembly.
I’m especially delighted to be here today to announce the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding between the World Health Organization and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
This is not only an agreement between friends. It’s an important tool that will help both of our organizations achieve their objectives.
It will allow us to promote parliaments for people:
parliaments that are responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative;
parliaments that take action to make health for all a reality.
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WHO and the IPU share many values and objectives. Our two organizations play key roles in bridging the gap between science and policy. Our shared ambition is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
WHO’s mandate is Goal 3, which calls on all of us to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
But we cannot achieve that goal without achieving Goal 16, to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, access to justice, and accountable and inclusive institutions.
That is why it so important to have the IPU alongside us as a major ally.
As parliamentarians, you play an essential role in achieving both goals, by enacting legislation, harmonizing existing law, creating an enabling legislative environment, and eliminating legal barriers to access to health.
You have the responsibility and authority to keep governments accountable for the commitments they make.
Your decisions on approving budget allocations are crucial. They define whether and how a country will be able to deliver on its health agenda.
To support countries to do this successfully, parliaments must be informed, involved and engaged.
Their role in reflecting public and social concerns must highlight the needs of the most vulnerable
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Earlier this year, WHO approved a new 5-year strategy. At its heart are what we call the “triple billion” targets:
1 billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage;
1 billion more people better protected from health emergencies;
And 1 billion more people enjoying better health and well-being.
The agreement we are signing today will help us make progress on each of those targets:
Universal health coverage, global health security, promoting health, especially of vulnerable groups including women, children and adolescents; and parliamentary capacity building.
Each of these areas is based on the conviction that health is a human right. But unfortunately, not everyone enjoys that right.
Despite the progress we have made, major challenges and inequalities remain.
There is still a 31-year difference between the countries with the shortest and longest life expectancies.
Disasters, conflict and poverty have pushed humanitarian needs across the world to unprecedented levels.
In an interconnected world, we are only as strong as our weakest link. No corner of the globe is immune to disease outbreaks. None of us are safe until we are all safe.
Women, children and adolescents remain among the most vulnerable groups of the population.
830 women still die daily in childbirth or from related complications.
5.6 million children died in 2016 before age 5.
At least half the world’s population still lacks access to essential health services,
And about 100 million people are pushed into extreme poverty every year because of the costs of paying for care out of their own pockets.
Universal health coverage means that all people and communities can access quality health services, without facing financial hardship.
But achieving UHC is not just about who pays for health. It’s about all the components of strong health systems: health service delivery systems, health workers, health information systems, quality assurance mechanisms, and governance and legislation.
Building strong health systems requires governments to spend money – but those expenditures must be seen for what they are: they’re investments, not costs.
They’re investments in a healthier and more productive population.
And they’re investments that most countries can afford.
A recent WHO study shows that 85 percent of the costs of achieving the health-related SDGs in low- and middle-income countries can be met with domestic resources.
As I always say, universal health coverage is a political choice.
At the UN General Assembly next year, we will be holding a high-level meeting to mobilise political support for UHC.
I am very pleased that the IPU is working towards the development of a resolution that could become the main parliamentary instrument for this global process, specifying the role of parliaments and concrete actions to be taken.
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Ladies and gentlemen, let me leave you with three concrete requests.
First, mobilise domestic resources. All countries must make a priority of investing in health systems, and especially in primary health care, with a focus on health promotion and disease prevention.
Second, mobilise political commitment. Use your position and influence to generate a movement for UHC in your parliaments.
Third, mobilise your leaders. I know from my own experience that with support from the highest levels of government, anything is possible. Take it on yourself to make sure your Head of State or Head of Government joins us in New York next September for the high-level meeting on UHC.
We are now witnessing unprecedented political commitment for achieving the dream of health of all. We must now work together to turn that commitment into a reality for all.
Today, we celebrate this important achievement.
Tomorrow, we redouble our efforts to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.
Thank you so much. Merci beaucoup.