Honourable Minister Warken
Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
Guten abend, and a heartfelt danke schön to Germany for hosting us tonight.
Minister Warken, it is an honour to welcome you once again to the World Health Assembly.
Thank you for your support, and for Germany’s leadership in global health, and its longstanding and generous partnership with WHO.
I express my deep gratitude to the Government and people of Germany for the additional contribution that you have announced today.
It builds on Germany’s leadership on sustainable financing over many years, which has made WHO more independent and more resilient.
In the same way, Germany’s support for the WHO Hub in Berlin – a true pearl of our organization – has strengthened global pandemic intelligence, and started doing surveillance in a different away based on the available technologies that we have.
At a time when multilateralism is under pressure, Germany’s commitment sends a powerful message: that global health security depends on global cooperation.
The current outbreaks of Ebola and hantavirus remind us that pathogens don’t carry passports.
They do not care about the lines humans draw on maps, or the colour of our politics.
They remind us of a simple truth: no country is safer alone than all of us are together.
That is why WHO remains essential, as Minister Warken said.
It’s also why the Pandemic Agreement and the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system are so important.
Preparedness cannot begin after the next outbreak starts.
As you know, the past year has been very difficult for global health and WHO.
We have had to say goodbye to a large number of dedicated colleagues. For me personally it was very painful.
But we have seen this shock as an opportunity - to prioritize, to realign, to become a leaner organization, more focused on our core mandate and comparative advantage.
The restructuring to address the acute problem is completed, the organization is stabilized and we are moving forward. But the change for a leaner organization that is more effective and efficient will continue.
And through this difficult period, Germany has stood with us – thank you.
I would also like to acknowledge our German WHO colleagues, whose dedication has not changed despite the difficult months we have all experienced.
Once again, my thanks to Germany for its leadership and steadfast support.
In our divided and divisive world, the answer to the challenges we face is not less cooperation, but better and more cooperation — grounded in science, solidarity, and shared responsibility.
WHO remains committed to working with Germany and every Member State to build a healthier, safer and fairer world.
Vielen Dank.