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Your Royal
Highness the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam,
Dr Viliami Tangi,
Chairperson of the Regional Committee,
Acting
Minister of Health of Brunei Darussalam,
Dr Omi,
Honourable
Representatives,
Excellencies,
Ladies and
Gentlemen,
Let me begin by echoing the thanks of my colleague
Dr Omi to His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam and to His
Majesty's Government of Brunei Darussalam for kindly agreeing to host
this session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific.
The Western Pacific Region is an extremely diverse
Region and it is always a pleasure for me to attend your sessions and
to see how, despite the enormous differences in size, culture and
stage of development, you are all united in your commitment to
ensuring the best possible standard of health for the people of the
Region. Such unity in diversity is extremely impressive and I can
assure you that the World Health Organization will offer you every
support we can, both from our Regional Office in Manila and from our
Headquarters in Geneva.
Dr Omi has already noted that many of Brunei
Darussalam's health indicators are excellent and I join him in
applauding you for that. Brunei Darussalam is one of the more
prosperous countries of the Western Pacific Region, and I am pleased
to note that you have used some of this wealth to invest in the health
of your people. In fact on a per capita basis, Brunei Darussalam's
expenditure on health is one of the highest in the Region.
Within WHO, the Member States see improvement in
health as a critical element of the fight against poverty. This is the
global imperative for this decade. Poor people will only be able
to prosper, and emerge from poverty, if they enjoy better health.
Member States of this region are encouraging the
WHO secretariat to fight for health improvement at intergovernmental
level, within the UN General Assembly, or in regional groupings - like
ASEAN. You expect us to focus on ways to increase access to good
quality medicines and other essential commodities, to improve skills
and practice among health professionals and to establish better
international means - such as agreed regulations or ratified
conventions - to limit the spread of ill health.
Member States also ask the WHO Secretariat to work
with them to improve health within communities, within civil society,
or through government action. You seek our help with optimizing the
performance and impact of health services, through effective
stewardship of private as well as public action, and through realistic
approaches to financing public health services.
Member States look to WHO for cooperation on a
number of issues:
- such as the health conditions experienced by poor people,
especially when they are marginalized or subject to insecurity and
conflict;
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such as the challenges faced by women -
particularly unsafe pregnancy, and by children - especially during
the adolescent years;
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such as the threats of infectious
diseases like HIV, leishmaniasis, dengue and diarrhoea;
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such as the emerging epidemics of
noncommunicable diseases, particularly cancers and injuries;
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such as the impact of the environment on
human health - through the water we drink, the air we breathe or
the insects, animals or dust with which we are in contact.
As health becomes more important to our Member
States, the demands on the WHO Secretariat increase. One of WHO's real
strengths is its regional structure, and its ability to respond to
regional priorities.
Your Majesty, Excellencies and other distinguished
guests,
Improving health is one of the most complex and
difficult of tasks. It is also one of the most inspiring and
rewarding. By offering to host the Fifty-second Session of the
Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in this beautiful country,
Brunei Darussalam has shown its commitment to achieving a better
standard of health for all. This is also WHO's mission. We are
therefore extremely pleased to be working with His Majesty's
Government in holding this important policy-making meeting here in
Brunei Darussalam.
Thank you.
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