Your Excellency, Deputy Prime Minister Amarsaikhan Sainbuyan;
Your Excellency, Minister Sodnom Chinzorig;
Esteemed guests, dear colleagues and friends,
I commend His Excellency, Minister of Health Sodnom Chinzorig, for convening this important event.
It is a great honour to be in Mongolia for my first visit to your beautiful country, and it is a special honour to be with members and leaders of your health workforce.
Health and care workers are the cornerstone of strong health systems, based on primary health care and universal health coverage.
Over the last three years, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a stark reminder of how much we all depend upon health and care workers.
I commend the government of Mongolia and your health and care workforce for your impressive response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is one that others can learn from.
Only one week after COVID-19 was identified, the Mongolian government had set up an incident management team bringing together more than 70 officials from 21 agencies, which worked across sectors to address this previously unknown pathogen.
With early preventive measures, a culture of continuous improvement, and the hard work of your health and care workers, you saved lives, kept health systems functioning, and achieved coverage of high-risk groups like the elderly and health and care workers.
Mongolia also expanded vital capacities including laboratories, oxygen plants, medical equipment, and modified hospital bed management.
All of this is a testament to both Mongolia’s preparedness and response overall, and to the dedication and commitment of your health and care workforce.
WHO is proud to continue to support Mongolia's efforts for health system strengthening and emergency preparedness and response.
I commend their Excellencies Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene and the Deputy Prime Minister Sainbuyan for leading the government's multisector COVID-19 response, and to build on lessons from the pandemic to strengthen national health capacity.
Mongolia's public health achievements go back many decades.
It was the first Asian country to produce a vaccine against smallpox, in 1940. Decades later, smallpox would be the world's only disease to be eradicated globally.
Mongolia's high immunization coverage and implementation of national programmes, mean that communicable diseases have not been a leading cause of death in the country since 1990.
Programmes to combat noncommunicable diseases, including policies to counter tobacco and alcohol, are important steps towards protecting future generations from preventable causes of death.
I'd also like to note the government's nationwide health screening program for early detection of common communicable and noncommunicable diseases including mental, neurological and substance use disorders, and oral hygiene.
Mongolia faces a significant risk from zoonotic disease and so it is particularly important that the government is bolstering its own pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response efforts, and further strengthening public health capacities.
The government of Mongolia’s planned Joint External Evaluation of its international health regulations core capacities in November will also provide recommendations for improving global health security.
What gives Mongolia a strong foundation, as well as learning lessons from previous outbreaks of SARS, H1N1 and seasonal flu, is its legacy of building a primary health care system that is able to reach nomadic communities.
Like many countries, Mongolia is dealing with a number of overlapping challenges that are putting extra pressure on health systems.
I commend his Excellency, Minister of Health Chinzorig for his leadership to strengthen primary health care, including focusing on both health prevention and promotion.
The government's drive towards universal health coverage built on a foundation of strong primary health care - so that all people can access care without financial hardship - will also help Mongolia address the impacts of emerging factors like rapid urbanization, internal migration, and the climate crisis.
Universal health coverage based on primary health care is key to serving the nomadic community and to developing a modern health system, which can address prevention and management of non-communicable diseases, which are an increasing risk.
I note also your government's high-level vision, led by his Excellency President Khurelsukh, to take cross-cutting action on the climate crisis, including its many health impacts.
The effort is three-pronged:
First, the billion trees initiative is important for slowing the connected crises of climate change and biodiversity loss and supporting a cleaner and healthier environment.
Second, the healthy Mongolia initiative, to develop a health system, that can serve both growing urban centres and traditional nomadic communities, and build resilience against future health emergencies.
And third, prioritising food security as a crucial building block to a sustainable future.
Investing in agriculture and food security is key to mitigating the health and economic impacts of climate change.
WHO is honoured to support Mongolia in realizing the health elements of this important plan.
Democratic Mongolia also has an important role to play in the peace and health agenda, including engagement in the work of WHO.
WHO is proud to support Mongolia's all-hazard disaster response efforts, and welcomes its work on building capacity of emergency medical teams.
When I went to Türkiye and Syria in the wake of the earthquake, I was pleased to find that Mongolia was among the first to deploy emergency and humanitarian response units.
With health emergencies increasing, I commend Mongolia's commitment to support others when catastrophes hit.
In closing, I would like to again say thank you.
Mongolia has a huge opportunity to contribute to global health goals, including the Health for All agenda, and I’m pleased that our visions for improving health and tackling the climate crisis are closely aligned.
WHO is committed to supporting Mongolia to building on its successes so far. Let me highlight three key areas:
First, to continue on its journey toward universal health coverage built on a foundation of primary health care, with a well-supported health workforce;
Second, to strengthen pandemic preparedness and response, both domestically, and through regional and global efforts, including through the pandemic accord;
And third, to address and mitigate the health impacts of evolving challenges, including the climate crisis, urbanization and environmental pollution.
I thank the leadership and the government of Mongolia for its continuing partnership with WHO and for giving me the opportunity to address you today.
I thank you.