WHO Director-General's opening remarks at media briefing, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – 15 June 2023

Your Excellency Prime Minister Rowley,

Dear members of the media,

Trinidad and Tobago, ah reach!

Good morning, it's an honour to be here, and I would like to thank His Excellency the Prime Minister, as well as the people of Trinidad and Tobago, for their warm Caribbean welcome and hospitality.

I would also like to thank Prime Minister Rowley for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic both domestically, regionally and globally.

The tough decisions he took helped to prevent infections and save lives.

I also very much appreciate the Prime Minister's strong advocacy for vaccine equity on behalf of CARICOM and other small states.

During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO supported the government's response by procuring essential medical supplies, training health workers to do PCR testing, and much more.

Just over a month ago, I declared an end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency. Although the emergency is over, we still have the virus around, and we must be vigilant.

So we must be ready. We are the generation that lived through COVID-19, so we must be the generation to learn the lessons it taught us, and make the changes we need to make to keep ourselves and each other safer.

One of the most important ways countries are doing that is through the negotiation of a new international accord on pandemic preparedness and response.

An accord is a pact between nations to work together for a shared response to shared threats.

Unfortunately, there has been a significant amount of misinformation and disinformation about the accord, with some people and media saying that countries will cede sovereignty to WHO, and that the accord will give WHO the power to impose lockdowns on countries.

Let me say clearly that this is simply untrue. It's fake news. WHO will not gain any power to override domestic policy decisions. Nor would we want to.

The pandemic accord is an agreement that is being negotiated by countries, for countries, and will be implemented by countries in accordance with their own national laws.

I thank Prime Minister Rowley for his support for the accord, and I encourage all small island developing states to engage actively in the negotiations, and make sure their interests are represented.

Like many small island developing states, Trinidad and Tobago was particularly at risk of COVID-19 because of its relatively high rates of noncommunicable diseases.

Noncommunicable diseases, or NCDs, like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer are responsible for more than 70% of premature deaths globally.

But perhaps nowhere is the impact of NCDs greater than in small island developing states.

Trinidad and Tobago has played a leading role in the fight against noncommunicable diseases for more than 15 years.

In 2007, the Declaration of Port of Spain resulted from a historic meeting of heads of government of the Caribbean Community, who recognized the devastating burden and consequences of NCDs on their citizens and the need to respond at the highest political level.

Of course, noncommunicable diseases is not the only challenge confronting SIDS.

You also face challenges including climate change, health emergencies, and adverse economic and commercial relations.

In addition, the capacities of health systems in many SIDS are limited, especially in relation to health workforce. They face challenges with having limited human resources, and substantial migration and "brain drain" of health workers.

I appreciate the Prime Minister's leadership in focusing on human capital and workforce.

Indeed, WHO lists 55 countries which should be protected against international recruitment of health workers, and 11 of those countries are SIDS.

And of course, I don't need to tell you that all of these challenges are exacerbated by the existential threat of climate change.

WHO is proud to have had a country office here in Trinidad and Tobago since 1964 which is currently led by my very experienced colleague Dr Erica Wheeler, and supported by her dedicated team.

Our collaboration with the Ministry of Health focuses on 10 key areas, including promoting healthy living, antimicrobial resistance, eliminating violence against women and girls, empowering young people, and pandemic preparedness.

So thank you once again, Your Excellency Prime Minister, for your hospitality and support, and I would like to assure you and all the people of Trinidad and Tobago of WHO's steadfast support, through our country office here in Port of Spain, at our Regional Office in Washington D.C. - PAHO - and at our headquarters in Geneva.

We are and will remain your steadfast partner as you confront the challenges you face, and build a healthier, safer, fairer future.

I thank you.

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