Your Excellency Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway,
Your Excellency Bent Høie, Minister of Health and Care Services of Norway,
Your Excellency Mr Aamir Sheikh, President of the 14 August Committee Norway,
Your Excellency Mr Sven Mollekleiv, acting Chairman of the Bridge Maker Award jury,
Distinguished Members of the Norwegian parliament and representatives of the diplomatic corps in Norway,
Excellencies, distinguished guests, dear colleagues and friends,
I am deeply honoured to accept the 2020 Bridge Maker Award, and together with my colleagues Mike Ryan, my Executive Director, and Maria Van Kerkhove, the technical lead, I am proud to accept this award on behalf of our colleagues, and also on behalf of all who are fighting on the frontline.
I thank the 14 August Committee of Norway and the jury members for this acknowledgement.
I thank Her Excellency Prime Minister Solberg for her government’s steadfast support for WHO and the global effort to fight the pandemic.
The Bridge Maker Award symbolizes the power of partnership, and the strength of solidarity.
I would like to accept this award on behalf of the health workers and care givers in countries around the world, and also my colleagues at WHO, who have been on the frontlines of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In just nine months, this pandemic has changed our world in so many ways.
In particular, it has reinforced the importance of building effective and equitable national health systems.
I would like to acknowledge Prime Minister Solberg, Minister Høie and the Norwegian government for making public health a political and social priority in your country.
A strong health system, rooted in primary health care, is the foundation for achieving universal health coverage. It provides the full range of services, from prevention and health promotion to treatment, rehabilitation, palliative care and emergency response.
The backbone of every health system is well-trained and properly equipped health workers.
2020 is the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife. My friends, we must honour and protect all health workers, and ensure they have decent pay and dignified working conditions.
This pandemic has also highlighted the critical importance of community trust, and of having strong communications channels between health institutions and the general public.
Never in our lifetimes have the principles of partnership and collaboration; of compassion and kindness; and of equality and humility been so critical as they are in this moment.
Now, more than ever, the world needs to build bridges to peace, security and health.
I am inspired every day by how many countries around the world have come together to confront this common threat.
Such solidarity is at the heart of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, that was launched by WHO, the European Commission, and other partners in April of this year.
This landmark collaboration is accelerating the development, production and equitable distribution of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics for COVID-19.
Over 170 countries are engaged in the vaccine component of this initiative, including Norway.
Central to this effort is ensuring that the most vulnerable people in all countries are first in line to receive access to these tools.
I would like to thank the Norwegian government for its strong support and especially to Her Excellency Prime Minister Solberg for co-chairing the ACT-Accelerator Facilitation Council, along with President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.
Thank you also for your vision and leadership in establishing and hosting the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which is playing such a vital role in supporting the development of vaccines against COVID-19.
WHO’s partnership with CEPI and Gavi through the COVAX Facility will be vital for helping to bring the pandemic under control, save lives and accelerate the global recovery.
Thank you so much for your continued support to CEPI.
I am confident that your leadership, wisdom and determination will help generate the solutions and resources needed to make this initiative succeed.
Dear Friends, I would like to leave you with three key messages:
First, let’s use the opportunity provided by the COVID-19 pandemic to implement the measures needed to prepare for the inevitable next emergency;
Second, let’s commit to building the health systems needed to serve all people of the world, especially the most vulnerable;
And third, let’s keep building bridges to peace and development, reinforced by national unity and global solidarity.
Thank you again for this great honour.
Takk skal du ha.