President Ramaphosa, Excellencies,
First, congratulations to President Ramaphosa and South Africa for hosting the first G20 Summit in Africa.
Thanks to investments in health over the past 20 years, global life expectancy has increased by more than six years, under-five mortality has dropped by more than half and maternal mortality has dropped by more than 40%.
In the same timeframe, at least 25 countries have moved from low-income to lower- or upper-middle income countries.
That’s no coincidence. Investments in health are investments in human capital, productivity and economic growth.
Conversely, COVID-19 showed that when health is at risk, everything is at risk.
The pandemic killed an estimated 20 million people and wiped around 10 trillion U.S. dollars from global GDP.
WHO thanks the G20 for its leadership on strengthening health security, but more needs to be done.
And pandemics are not the only threat to the health of people and economies.
So are noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and communicable diseases including HIV, TB, malaria and vaccine-preventable diseases.
Health is not simply an outcome of development; it’s the means.
That means the global crisis in health financing is also a crisis for development and economic growth.
But in this crisis lies an opportunity – an opportunity for countries to transition away from aid dependency towards a new era of sovereignty and self-reliance.
WHO is supporting countries to make that transition, and we urge the G20 to provide the support countries need, in line with the Lusaka Agenda.
Because solidarity is our best immunity.
I thank you.