Your Excellency Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, Chairman of the African Union,
Your Excellency Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia,
Your Excellency Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President,
Your Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairman of the African Union Commission,
Your Excellency António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations,
Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
I am proud to stand before you as the first son of Africa to be elected Director-General of the World Health Organization.
I owe the African Union, our leaders, foreign ministers and health ministers, an enormous debt of thanks for their support during my campaign.
Our success is a powerful statement of what Africa can achieve when it unites around a common purpose.
Now it is time for us to unite around a new purpose: the health of all Africa’s sons and daughters.
Because for Africa to thrive,
For Africa to fulfill its potential,
For Africa to take its rightful place on the world stage,
We must ensure that all Africans enjoy the health they deserve.
I know of no other policy intervention with more power to unleash the power of human capital, and with more potential to meet Africa’s challenges and realize its opportunities, than universal health coverage.
Universal health coverage has the power not only to transform the health of populations, but to transform economies and change the trajectory of nations.
Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the African Leaders Meeting on Investment in Health.
I thank Your Excellencies Paul Kagame and Moussa Faki Mahamat for your leadership in bringing the Addis Ababa Call to Action to fruition.
I believe this Call to Action is a turning point for Africa. It’s an incredible opportunity – a powerful political commitment to increasing domestic investment in health, and to accountability for that commitment.
But in the Addis Ababa Call to Action, countries have not only committed to greater investments in health. You have also committed to smarter investments in health.
And the smartest investment any country can make is in primary health care, with an emphasis on promoting health and preventing disease.
As we all know, prevention is better than cure. And the best vehicle for prevention is primary health care.
Strong primary health care helps to keep people healthy and away from hospitals, where costs are higher and diseases can be harder to treat.
Strong primary care is also the eyes and ears of the health system, and the first line of defence against outbreaks and other health emergencies.
Ultimately, health systems and health security are two sides of the same coin.
The current outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a perfect example.
Even as we work to stamp out this outbreak in DRC, we must work to build stronger health systems to prevent, detect and respond quickly to the next outbreak.
The establishment of the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention two years ago is an important investment in strengthening Africa’s defences against outbreaks. WHO is committed to working with the ACDC to ensure its success.
Likewise, we are very encouraged by the progress made towards establishing the African Medicines Agency. This is a vital step towards ensuring a safe, reliable and affordable supply of medicines in Africa, and to combating the epidemic of substandard and falsified medicines in our continent.
The Addis Ababa Call to Action also calls for greater coordination with multilateral and bilateral organizations.
We want the same thing.
Last year, His Excellency President Akufo-Addo of Ghana, together with Chancellor Merkel of Germany and Prime Minister Solberg of Norway, asked WHO to take the lead on developing a Global Action Plan to support countries in achieving the health targets in the Sustainable Development Goals.
Together with 11 other health and development agencies, we are now developing that plan.
This is another powerful opportunity for multilateral agencies to align in support of country priorities and country plans.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
I leave you with 3 requests.
First, continued strong leadership. Universal health coverage is above all a political choice. It is a fundamental human right. We look to you to make that choice on behalf of the people you serve.
Second, primary health care. That is bedrock of universal health coverage, and must be the focus of action in all our countries.
And third, domestic investment. Every country must now make good on the commitment it has made in the Addis Ababa Call to Action.
WHO stands ready to support every country as we work together for a healthier, safer, fairer Africa and realize agenda 2063.
Thank you.