Honourable Chair, Minister María Teresa Barán,
Honourable Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill,
Honourable Ministers and heads of delegation,
Regional Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa,
Secretary-General Albert Ramdin,
Dear Amanda Glassman,
Dear colleagues and friends,
Buenos dias, bonjour, bom dia, and good morning,
I thank the United States of America for hosting the Pan-American Health Organization and this 77th session of the Regional Committee of WHO for the Americas.
The United States was a founding member of both WHO and PAHO, and has been a leader in public health, from the historic eradication of smallpox to its work on HIV, malaria, humanitarian emergencies, and its world-class scientific research, including on COVID-19 vaccines.
Of course, all of these accomplishments were only possible through close and long-term collaboration with the global community.
So I very much regret the decision of the United States to withdraw from WHO;
Just as I regret Argentina’s communication to the Secretary-General of its withdrawal from WHO.
We hope both countries will reconsider, and we remain open to dialogue.
The World Health Assembly is expected to consider both matters next year, and I will return to this subject later.
Dr Barbosa, I am grateful for your report, which clearly lays out the accomplishments of PAHO, and how you intend to navigate the challenges ahead.
You have documented progress on key PAHO initiatives on disease elimination, noncommunicable diseases, primary health care, maternal mortality, and digital health.
The Regional Office has also supported the response to 20 acute emergencies, including a major dengue epidemic, mpox, influenza H5N1 in cattle, and measles and yellow fever across multiple countries.
You also responded to wildfires in Bolivia and Chile; Hurricane Beryl in Grenada, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; and multiple emergencies in Cuba.
There was also important progress in disease control:
With the re-verification of Brazil as measles free, the entire Region regained its status as free of endemic measles.
Suriname became the first country in the Amazon to be certified as malaria-free, and Brazil eliminated lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem.
Congratulations to these countries on your achievements.
Excellencies,
Your agenda this week reflects your shared commitment to promoting, providing and protecting the health of the region’s people;
Through the mid-term report on the Implementation of the Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas;
Through the regional strategies for prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases; and for health and migration;
Through the regional policy for Expanding Equitable Access to High-cost and High-price Health Technologies;
And much more.
Of course, implementing all of these strategies, frameworks and actions will require resources, which as we all know, are even scarcer than usual.
Sudden and dramatic cuts to official development assistance are disrupting health systems in many countries.
As we navigate these tough times, it is important to remember that in this crisis lies an opportunity – an opportunity to move away from relying on aid and to build a new future based on independence, self-reliance, and solidarity.
Many leaders have told me they are ready to make that transition.
And many countries have been taking action.
One powerful tool for generating domestic resources and improving health is through health taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks.
Last month, WHO launched our “3 by 35” initiative, which aims to support countries to increase the real prices of these three unhealthy products – tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks – by at least 50% by 2035.
This is not aspirational; many countries are already doing it, including in the Americas.
Of course, health taxes are only one tool. There are many others, including pooled procurement, domestic manufacturing, integrating vertical programmes into government-led systems, public health insurance, and better budget execution.
In May, the World Health Assembly adopted a landmark resolution calling for more domestic investment in health and deeper governance reform.
WHO is committed to supporting all Member States to build strong, resilient, inclusive health systems guided by evidence and grounded in equity.
At the same time, WHO is facing our own financial crisis, as you know, due to the withdrawal of the U.S. and reductions in official development assistance from other countries.
Among the reasons the U.S. gave for leaving WHO were that we have failed to implement reforms, and that it pays significantly more than other countries.
In fact, over the past eight years, we have undergone the most profound transformation in the Organization’s history.
And the biggest area of reform has been in the way the organization is financed, precisely to reduce our reliance on a handful of traditional donors, and to share the burden more evenly among Member States.
Most significantly, in 2022 Member States committed to increasing assessed contributions progressively to 50% of our budget.
Previously, the largest increase in the history of the Organization was only 3%. So, the 50% increase was historic.
We cannot overstate the significance of this decision – it will help to protect the Organization from the impact of future shocks, and be transformative to its long-term financial stability, resilience and independence.
We have also implemented a range of cost-saving measures:
Significant reductions in travel; voluntary retirement packages; abolishing positions of retired staff; tightening our belts; and a prioritization exercise.
Together, these actions – the increase in assessed contributions, and the cost-containment measures – are helping to mitigate the impact of our funding cuts, and are expected to save about 900 jobs.
But it’s still not enough, and we have no choice but to scale back the size of our budget, and our workforce.
In May, the Health Assembly approved a reduced budget for the 2026–2027 biennium, which has resulted in difficult but necessary decisions.
We started at the top, cutting the number of senior leaders and directors in half.
And we have now almost completed the process of realigning our headquarters structure with resources.
This is a painful and difficult time for all of us – we are having to say goodbye to many committed, talented colleagues who have dedicated their careers to serving the people of the world, working and delivering under serious pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Excellencies,
The global health landscape has changed, but the need for a strong WHO has not.
At this year’s World Health Assembly, Member States sent a very clear signal that they want a strong, empowered and sustainable WHO.
The approval of the next increase in assessed contributions was a strong vote of confidence, as was the historic adoption of the Pandemic Agreement.
And to PAHO members, thank you for your support.
I leave you with three requests.
First, I urge all Member States to engage actively in negotiations on the PABS annex to the Pandemic Agreement, and to conclude it in time for next year’s World Health Assembly in May.
Second, I urge you to use every tool at your disposal to generate financing for health, and improve efficiency, as you build a more self-reliant future, free from aid dependency.
WHO stands ready to support all Member States to do that.
And third, I urge you to seize this opportunity to work with us to build a stronger, more empowered and more independent WHO, that is better able to serve all countries.
I look forward to continuing to work with Dr Jarbas Barbosa, my colleagues in the Regional Office, and with all Member States as we work together to promote, provide and protect health in the Americas, and everywhere.
I thank you.