Your Excellency Minister Sándor Pintér,
You Excellency Minister Csaba Lantos,
Your Excellency UN General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi,
European Task Force Chair Brigit Staatsen,
My dear RD, Hans Kluge,
Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
Jó napot kívánok.
A warm welcome to you all, and my sincere thanks to the government of Hungary for hosting this important event. I am sorry that I could be in person with you because of other competing commitments in Geneva.
Climate change, the spread of infectious disease, pollution, food scarcity – the overlapping crises in the headlines are a stern reminder that environment and health issues are intimately linked.
We must work across sectors to address this catastrophic convergence.
The Budapest Declaration that you are considering today contains comprehensive commitments, from tackling pollution and strengthening climate action to integrating nature and biodiversity considerations into policies across sectors.
Addressing environmental issues is critical to one of WHO’s top priorities: addressing the root causes of disease.
Every year, more than 1.4 million people in the European Region and more than 13 million people globally die prematurely as the result of air and water pollution, and other preventable environmental factors.
We need to change the narrative. Currently, governments provide an estimated US$ 600 billion per year in subsidies for fossil fuels.
It is time to redirect that investment towards cheap, reliable, renewable energy, and in particular for healthcare facilities and other critical infrastructure in low-income communities.
Moving from fossil fuels to green energy will also help us tackle the root causes of climate change, reduce pollution, improve human health, and preserve biodiversity.
We’re making progress. At the COP28 meetings in December, European countries will make important joint commitments for climate action.
Going forward, I urge you to leverage your regional efforts at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York next week and at the SDG Summit at the UN General Assembly in September.
The Budapest Declaration is a roadmap towards strengthening climate resilience, striving for “net zero” before 2050, reducing fossil fuel emissions, accelerating health adaptation, fighting pollution and protecting nature.
We need to work together, both as a region and globally, to take the necessary environmental actions for healthier populations, a thriving planet and a sustainable future.
I thank you.