Your Excellency Dr Pacsay-Tommasich, Minister of State for International Affairs,
Professor Lázár, Dean of Seged University,
Professor Rosivall, President of the Semmelweis Memorial Committee,
My sister Zsuzsanna Jakab, Regional Director for Europe,
Excellencies, distinguished guests, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,
It’s an honour to have you here for this important moment, and thank you for your kind words.
In September 2017 I was privileged to visit Hungary for the European Regional Committee meeting in Budapest.
I also had the honour of meeting Prime Minister Orban to discuss Hungary’s investment in health, and its role as co-chair of the negotiations on UHC towards this year’s High-Level meeting in New York.
As you know, that meeting will be a historic moment. We must make sure we make the most of it, and we look forward to working with you to ensure we do.
In every area of life, we need heroes. People we look up to. People who set an example. People who inspire us to do better, and not to accept the status quo.
Ignaz Semmelweis is one of them – a hero of global health who all of us must remember.
His work was based on carefully built evidence, showing that simple hand washing by health workers saves lives.
These ideas were considered an offence to the medical establishment. He was mocked, his mental health deteriorated, and he died at 47 without seeing his ideas accepted.
But history and science vindicated him. Today, we know he was right.
In many ways, Ignaz Semmelweis represents the essence of WHO: using evidence to serve people.
His legacy is two-fold:
First, he was a pioneer of infection control. His emphasis on hand hygiene was and remains crucial. For a century until the advent of antibiotics, there was no treatment for women infected with puerperal fever.
And hand hygiene remains a cornerstone of infection prevention, especially with the rise of antimicrobial resistance.
Second, his values continue to inspire health workers globally.
In fact, we recently asked our staff what values are important to them as WHO employees. Many of them are those espoused by Semmelweis.
Like him, we strive to be trusted servants of public health.
Like him, we commit to professional excellence.
Like him, we value collaboration.
Like him, we strive for integrity and accountability.
Like him, we are people who care for people, defending the right to health for all people.
I am proud to unveil this statue reminding us of life and his legacy.
By accepting this gift, I am delighted to give Mr Semmelweis his rightful place, as a great man who paid a hefty price for his professional and moral integrity and selfless contribution to human health.
I offer my deep thanks to the Government of Hungary, Seged University and to Semmelweis University for this gift.
In fact, this is not the first time we have received an art gift from Hungary
In 1960, Hungary donated a beautiful mosaic which is displayed on the 4thfloor of this building.
You might have noticed we’re building a new building, and we’re looking to furnish it. So I am encouraging all Member States to follow the example of Hungary and donate art works, including those that commemorate public health heroes like Ignaz Semmelweis.
Thank you.