Excellences,
Director-General Jan Beagle,
Dear colleagues and friends,
Thank you for the opportunity to address you today.
In 1948, as the world sought to rebuild from the horrors of the Second World War, two documents came into force that have shaped the health of the world’s people for more than 70 years.
One was the Declaration of Human Rights; the other was the Constitution of the World Health Organization.
Both documents affirm that health is a fundamental human right, not a privilege for those who can afford it.
The WHO Constitution provides an important legal definition of health, as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Over time, that founding principle has been concretised in the statute books of an increasing number of nations.
Many now have the right to health enshrined in their constitutions, including Italy, where IDLO is based. Others have passed laws on universal health coverage – most recently the Philippines and South Africa.
In recent years, many countries have also introduced new legislation and regulations to address the determinants of health.
For example, Australia, Canada, France, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Thailand, Uruguay and more have mandated plain packaging for tobacco products.
Singapore has passed a bill that will ban the use of artificial trans-fats – a leading contributor to hypertension and heart disease – from its food supply by next year.
Countries including Chile, India, Malaysia and Mexico have introduced or increased taxes on sugary drinks.
And there are many other examples.
Law also plays an important role internationally, with two treaties on tobacco control, and the International Health Regulations, a legally-binding instrument that governs global health security and the international response to outbreaks.
As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented crisis that has shaken the foundations of social, economic and political stability.
It has also been a severe test for the International Health Regulations.
In September, under the provisions of the International Health Regulations, I established a review committee to evaluate their functioning during the pandemic, and to make recommendations on whether amendments are needed to this vital legal tool.
The committee will review several areas of the IHR, including the limited and binary mechanism for declaring a public health emergency of international concern.
We are also in the early stages of piloting a new mechanism for evaluating national preparedness for health emergencies, called the Universal Preparedness and Health Review, which we have modelled on the Universal Periodic Review used by the Human Rights Council.
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More broadly, the rule of law is essential for health in several ways.
First, it supports good governance by establishing formal codes or norms that effectively constrain or mandate certain actions by individuals, institutions or governments.
Here in Switzerland, for example, all residents are obliged to purchase health insurance covering a basic set of services, which is regulated by federal legislation.
Second, the rule of law can help to establish clear standards for accountability, transparency, privacy, and sanctions, and to prevent or reduce corruption.
And third, the rule of law also enables individuals to access health services, to participate in decision-making, and to prohibit discrimination.
But despite all these advantages, there are many examples of health-promoting laws being challenged or undermined.
That’s why ultimately, health is a political choice. Strong health laws must be built on a foundation of strong political commitment.
In recent years, that political commitment has strengthened.
At the United Nations General Assembly last year, world leaders came together to adopt the high-level political declaration on universal health coverage.
This is the first time world leaders have converged on the conviction that no one should miss out on health services simply because they are poor.
Last year, legislators from many countries at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Congress in Belgrade adopted a resolution on universal health coverage, pledging to leverage the power of parliaments to translate political commitment into the legislation and regulations to make UHC a reality.
WHO is continuing to work with the IPU, based on the Memorandum of Understanding we signed last year, and with Parliaments to strengthen their engagement with health issues.
We provide technical support for the development of health legislation, informed by the latest scientific evidence, and guidance on the appropriate budget allocation to health.
And WHO is proud to work with IDLO on strengthening the rule of law, not only for health, but for the full range of development issues.
WHO and IDLO have concluded a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on strengthening legal and policy frameworks to prevent, detect and promptly response to public health risks and public health emergencies of international concern, including COVID-19.
We look forward to working with you more closely to strengthen health laws globally.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us of two things:
First, that health is not a by-product of development; it is the essential underpinning of productive, resilient and stable societies and economies;
And second, that for everything that makes us different, we are one humanity. Diseases know no borders.
The only way to confront global health threats, from outbreaks of infectious diseases to the slow-moving pandemic of antimicrobial resistance, is with more international cooperation, not less.
But neither of these ideas are new. WHO’s founders knew this when they wrote our Constitution 72 years ago.
They wrote that the health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security and is dependent upon the fullest co-operation of individuals and States.
The world has changed beyond recognition in 72 years. But our vision has not – the highest attainable standard of health for everyone, everywhere.
I thank you.