Director-General's opening remarks at Caucus of Caricom Ministers of Health and Heads of Delegations attending the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly – 26 May 2022

Dr the Honourable Christopher Tufton, Minister of Health of Jamaica,

Excellencies, heads of delegation, dear colleagues and friends,

Good evening, it's a real pleasure to join you, and thank you for the opportunity to share some thoughts with you.

As you know, just a month ago I was in Barbados at the invitation of Her Excellency Mia Mottley.

It was a real privilege to be there, and to see first-hand some of the challenges that many Caricom countries are facing:

Noncommunicable diseases take a heavy toll on the health of your people, and your health systems;

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on your economies, especially the tourism industry;

And climate change threatens your very existence.

WHO is committed to supporting you to meet each of these challenges - as am I personally.

As you know, after my election five years ago, we launched an initiative on Climate Change and Health in Small Island Developing States.

Our vision is that by 2030, every island in the Caribbean and the Pacific will have a health system that is resilient to climate change.

And last year, WHO hosted the SIDS Summit for Health - the first global gathering of leaders to focus exclusively on health in small island states.

Let me suggest four specific ways in which WHO can continue support you.

First, WHO has helped small island states to mobilize funds for climate change adaptation, resilient health systems, food security, and emergency preparedness and response.

Yet many of your nations still lack financing to implement these policies. WHO offers our support to SIDS in better utilizing financing platforms, such as the Green Climate Fund.

Second, we can provide technical support on how to scale-up integrated services to prevent and fight NCDs, especially obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and tobacco use.

Third, WHO will continue to support your efforts to progress towards universal health coverage, and to strengthen primary health care.

Fourth, we must all learn the lessons the pandemic is teaching us.

Following a request at the Executive Board, and in consultation with Member States, the WHO Secretariat has developed a proposal for a stronger global architecture for health emergency preparedness and response.

The proposal makes recommendations in three specific areas:

Enhanced governance that is coherent, inclusive and accountable;

Stronger systems and tools to prevent, detect and respond rapidly to health emergencies;

And adequate and efficient financing, domestically and internationally.

Overarching these areas is the need for a new international instrument, which Member States are now negotiating.

We urge Caricom countries to engage in these negotiations.

It's essential that all Member States of all sizes and income levels are involved in this process.

Thank you all for your support over the past five years, and your commitment to protecting and promoting the health of the people of the Caribbean.

I look forward to supporting you in every way possible over the next five years, and I very much hope that I will be able to visit more Caricom countries in the near future.

Thank you so much.

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