Madam Chair, distinguished EB members,
This has been another record-breaking session, with more than 1,100 registered participants, 55 agenda items, and nearly 700 pages of documents. This was an especially heavy agenda. With hard work, also in two night sessions, you got through this tremendous workload.
You addressed some uplifting news, on achievements during the MDG era, on the Ebola situation, and on progress towards polio eradication. As some observed, the polio situation has never looked so promising. You will be forwarding to the WHA several resolutions that will guide our work in the 2030 development agenda.
The smooth running of the session was thanks in large part to your most able Chair, with her chocolates, her songs, and her charm. Chair, you may never know, even with a bracketed text and a comma, how much chairing an EB session can affect WHO’s capacity to improve world health.
This capacity was at the heart of your debates on WHO reform, and most especially when you discussed the new single programme for responding to outbreaks and humanitarian emergencies.
The Regional Directors and I welcome the report of the Advisory Group and its recommendations. We welcome the Board’s comments and guidance in acting on these recommendations.
Over the last few days, the Regional Directors and I have been discussing the guidance we received from the Executive Board in accelerating implementation of these important reforms that will make WHO stronger.
Today we are issuing a statement on our commitment to the transformation of our work in outbreaks and health emergencies, and on the actions we will be taking in the coming weeks. Copies of our statement will be available at the back of the room at the close of the Executive Board.
The Regional Directors and I are fully committed to the urgent reform of WHO’s emergency work, in a comprehensive way, through the establishment of one single programme, with one budget, one workforce, one set of rules and processes and, above all, one clear line of authority.
All are fully committed to an independent mechanism for assessing and monitoring our performance, and reporting back to our governing bodies.
The need for transformative change is urgent. Over the next few weeks, we will develop a detailed structure covering the main elements of the new programme and the roll-out plan with concrete actions according to a monthly timeline.
As requested, we will have a revised and more detailed report, spelling out the transformative changes, ready for you in March. Feedback on that report will shape the document to be submitted to the Health Assembly in May.
I thank EB members for all the good guidance you have given us. I thank the Chair and other officers, the interpreters and, of course, my own dedicated staff.
I wish you all a safe trip home.
Thank you.