Thread by @WHO

"WHO is committed to the people of the Pacific. We have 194 Member States. Every single one is important, because every single person is important. In the @GlobalGoalsUN, we have committed to leave no one behind. That is a promise that I take very seriously"-@DrTedros #PHMM2019

@GlobalGoalsUN @DrTedros @WHOWPRO "I heard a recurring set of themes about the challenges you are facing:
-#ClimateChange
-Noncommunicable diseases
-Health security
-Weak #PrimaryHealthCare
Each of these challenges is addressed in the Triple Billion targets in WHO’s five-year strategic plan"-@DrTedros #PHMM2019

@GlobalGoalsUN @DrTedros @WHOWPRO "Although you are the least responsible for #ClimateChange, you are among the most at risk. The world is facing a climate crisis and the Pacific is on the front line"-@DrTedros at #PHMM2019

@GlobalGoalsUN @DrTedros @WHOWPRO "I believe strongly that to elicit #ClimateAction, we must reframe #ClimateChange as a health issue. The effects on human health are immediate, including death & disease caused by extreme weather events, heat stress, waterborne & foodborne diseases, malnutrition-@DrTedros

@GlobalGoalsUN @DrTedros @WHOWPRO @UN "WHO established a special initiative on #ClimateChange & health in small island developing states. We are committed to working with you to implement the Pacific action plan as a matter of urgency. There is no time to lose."-@DrTedros at #PHMM2019

@GlobalGoalsUN @DrTedros @WHOWPRO @UN @naokoy21 "#ClimateChange also has consequences on health security.
Extreme weather events increase the risk of natural disasters & infectious diseases. I’m pleased to see the progress you have made on keeping the region safe, especially in the area of emergency preparedness"-@DrTedros

@GlobalGoalsUN @DrTedros @WHOWPRO @UN @naokoy21 "The increase in noncommunicable diseases is a crisis even more dangerous than an emergency because it is not sudden or dramatic. It is slow and silent. And the impact in terms of disease, death and health spending will be just as bad, if not worse"-@DrTedros at #PHMM2019

@GlobalGoalsUN @DrTedros @WHOWPRO @UN @naokoy21 "It is pleasing to see that most of the Pacific countries have increased taxes on tobacco, alcohol and foods high in salt, sugar and trans fats. But much work remains to be done. We simply cannot #BeatNCDs without closing all the gaps, & without involving all sectors"-@DrTedros

@GlobalGoalsUN @DrTedros @WHOWPRO @UN @naokoy21 "The key underlying factor in all of these issues is the need for stronger health systems. There is nowhere on earth where #PrimaryHealthCare is more important than here in the Pacific, where your populations are dispersed over many islands in a wide geographic area"-@DrTedros

@GlobalGoalsUN @DrTedros @WHOWPRO @UN @naokoy21 "Large referral hospitals are always important, but we cannot expect people to travel miles by boat for services that could and should be provided locally. The most effective and efficient investments are those that keep people out of hospitals"-@DrTedros at #PHMM2019