Honourable Ministers
Distinguished Representatives
Dr Takeshi Kasai, Regional Director
Professor Hiro Nakatani, Chair of the WHO Executive Board and Members of the Executive Board bureau
Representatives of United Nations agencies, intergovernmental organizations and nongovernmental organizations
Distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen:
Thank you for your trust and confidence in electing me to chair the seventieth session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific.
I thank the outgoing Chairperson, Sr Puka Temu, Vice-Chairperson, Dr Lam Pin Min, and other officers of the last session. I will do my best to follow their excellent leadership and to manage our programme well.
Distinguished colleagues:
We heard yesterday afternoon the excellent report of the Regional Director on the progress that has been towards better health in the Region under the leadership of both Dr Kasai, and the former Regional Director, Dr Shin Young-soo. We also heard about Dr Kasai’s vision and agenda for the future. Congratulations, Dr Kasai, on a very productive first 8 months in this role. We all look forward to working with you over the coming five years.
Colleagues, we have a busy agenda before us for the rest of the week, including discussion on four technical agenda items. I would like to provide a brief overview of these items now.
First, ageing and health. Population ageing is an important issue for our Region: ageing is inevitable for every country, and the pace of ageing is accelerating.
Ageing is sometimes described as a challenge. However, with early action to prepare well, and a strong multi-sectoral approach, it is really an opportunity. The lesson from countries who have already experienced this demographic transition is that preparing in advance is crucial, and the earlier the better.
In October 2013, the Regional Committee endorsed the Regional Framework for Action on Ageing and Health. Six years on, it is time to take stock of different countries’ experience and approaches.
This afternoon we will have a panel discussion with Member States and experts, and learn from these as we shape our region’s approach to preparing for population ageing in the future.
Second, tobacco control. There has been excellent progress in the Region over the last five years, thanks to adoption and implementation of proven tobacco control measures in countries and areas across the Region.
Smoking in the Western Pacific has declined significantly over the past two decades, but our efforts must be intensified to meet our Sustainable Development Goal targets – and to save lives. Tobacco use still claims millions of lives in our Region every year.
In addition, new challenges are emerging in our Region. We have seen the aggressive introduction and marketing of new products, such as heated tobacco products and electronic nicotine delivery systems. These developments are putting our hard-earned tobacco control gains at risk.
Mindful of these new challenges, the proposed Regional Action Plan for Tobacco Control in the Western Pacific provides comprehensive guidance to countries and areas to support them in achieving our collective tobacco control targets over the next 10 years.
Third, protecting children from the harmful impact of food marketing. Rapid economic growth, urbanization and globalization have changed the food system in our Region, making inexpensive processed foods more available and accessible.
Marketing of breast-milk substitutes and foods high in saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, free sugars and/or salt is widespread across the Region.
Concerned with the harmful impact of food marketing on children, in 2017 Regional Committee asked the Secretariat to develop a regional action plan on protecting children from the harmful impact of food marketing, in consultation with Member States and key stakeholders.
The draft Regional Action Framework on Protecting Children from the Harmful Impact of Food Marketing is before the Committee this week. The draft Framework provides a set of approaches and recommended actions for addressing the harmful impact of food marketing, that Member States can apply based on their national context and needs.
Fourth, antimicrobial resistance. AMR is an ever-present threat to the achievement of universal health coverage (UHC), and the security of our future. National and global containment efforts are not keeping up with the rapid spread of AMR. Newly resistant bacteria are emerging all the time. But the pipeline of antibiotic development remains inadequate.
In 2014, the Regional Committee endorsed the Action Agenda for Antimicrobial Resistance in the Western Pacific Region, focusing on the development of national action plans, increasing awareness in other sectors, and strengthening health systems and surveillance. Some progress has been made, but it has been uneven.
The draft Framework for Accelerating Action to Fight Antimicrobial Resistance in the Western Pacific Region before us this week identifies new ways of working, to slow the spread of AMR and address its impact on health and development. The Framework will guide countries in implementing sustained and future-oriented solutions, based on the national context, but with a focus on engaging the broader community and society.
In addition to these important technical agenda items, we will also consider progress reports on a range of critical issues for our Region:
Health security;
Noncommunicable diseases and mental health;
Climate change, environment and health;
The Action plan on healthy newborn infants; and
Communicable diseases.
We will also discuss a range of other important standing agenda items, including the coordination of the work of the World Health Assembly, the Executive Board and the Regional Committee, and the agenda for next year’s session of this Committee. I look forward to discussing the proposed agenda items for next year, especially ‘Policy and governance of medical products’.
I have continuously stressed that universal health coverage can be achieved by strengthening access to medicine, and therefore welcome the proposed technical agenda items for next year’s session. At the side event co-hosted by Korea and Italy this May during the World Health Assembly, we have collectively agreed that international coordination is critical to securing access to essential medicines. We also agreed to ensure access to new drugs by encouraging innovative R&D activities, and reasonable pricing. I very much look forward to this discussion.
During this week, we will also have an exciting session on WHO’s work in countries, as well as several interesting lunchtime side events.
Excellencies, distinguished delegates:
Thank you again for your confidence in electing me as Chair of this important meeting. I very much look forward to our discussions. We have a lot to do, so let’s get to work!
Thank you very much.