Thread by @WHO

Opening of the virtual #WHA73 with @DrTedros. #COVID19 pscp.tv/w/cZEDzTI2MTAy…

"Nurses & midwives have been on the frontlines of the fight against #COVID19, putting themselves in harm’s way. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of humanity.
Please join me, wherever you are, in standing to show your appreciation for these health heroes"-@DrTedros

"We've come together as the nations of the 🌍 to confront the defining health crisis of our time. We come
in grief for those we've lost
with concern for those fighting for their lives
with determination to triumph over the common threat
with hope for the future"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"The 🌍 has confronted several pandemics before. This is the first caused by a coronavirus.

This a dangerous enemy, with a dangerous combination of features: efficient, fast and fatal"-@DrTedros #WHA73 #COVID19

"#COVID19 can operate in the dark, spread silently if we’re not paying attention, then suddenly explode if we aren’t ready.
We’ve seen the same pattern repeated in cities & countries the 🌍 over"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"More than 4-and-a-half million cases of #COVID19 have now been reported to WHO & more than 300,000 people have lost their lives. But numbers don’t even begin to tell the story of the pandemic.

Each loss of life leaves a scar for families, communities & nations"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"The health impacts of the #COVID19 pandemic extend far beyond the sickness & death caused by the virus itself. And yet this is so much more than a health crisis"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"Lives and livelihoods have been lost or upended.

Hundreds of millions of people have lost their jobs.

Fear and uncertainty abound.

The global economy is headed for its sharpest contraction since the Great Depression"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

"The #COVID19 pandemic has brought out the best – and worst – of humanity:

Fortitude and fear; solidarity and suspicion; rapport and recrimination.

This contagion exposes the fault lines, inequalities, injustices and contradictions of our modern world"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"#COVID19 has highlighted our strengths and our vulnerabilities.

Science has been hailed and scorned.

Nations have come together as never before and geopolitical divisions have been thrown into sharp relief"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"The #COVID19 pandemic is a reminder of the intimate & delicate relationship between people and planet"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"Any efforts to make our 🌍 safer are doomed to fail unless they address the critical interface between people & pathogens & the existential threat of #climatechange that is making our earth less habitable"-@DrTedros #WHA73 #COVID19

"For all the economic, military and technological might of nations, we have been humbled by this very small microbe.

If #COVID19 is teaching us anything, it’s humility"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"6 months ago, it would've been inconceivable to most that: -the 🌍’s biggest cities would fall eerily quiet

-shops, restaurants, schools & workplaces would be closed

-global travel would grind to a standstill

-simply shaking hands could be life-threatening"-@DrTedros #COVID19

"In less than 5 months, the #COVID19 pandemic has encircled the globe.

All countries have faced challenges in coming to grips with this virus, rich and poor, large and small"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"Low-income countries, small island developing states and those suffering from violence and conflict are trying to confront this threat in the most challenging of circumstances"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

"Some countries:

-are succeeding in preventing widespread community transmission

-have issued #StayHome orders & imposed severe social restrictions to suppress community transmission

-are still bracing for the worst"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

"Some are now assessing how to ease the restrictions that have exacted such a heavy social & economic toll. Moving too fast, without putting in place the public health architecture to detect & suppress transmission, runs a real risk of handicapping their own recovery"-@DrTedros

"Early serology studies are painting a consistent picture:
the proportion of the population with tell-tale antibodies is no more than 20% & in most places less than 10%
In other words: the majority of the 🌍’s population remains susceptible to the virus"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

"We've learned an enormous amount about how to prevent infections & save lives.

There is no single action that has made the difference.

Not testing alone. Not contact tracing alone. Not isolation, quarantine, hand hygiene or physical distancing alone"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

"The countries that have done well have done it all.

This is the comprehensive approach that WHO has called for consistently.

There is no silver bullet. There is no simple solution. There is no panacea. There is no one-size-fits-all approach"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

"It takes hard work,

fidelity to science,

learning and adapting as you go,

and difficult decisions"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

"Since day one, WHO has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with countries in these darkest of hours.

WHO sounded the alarm early, and we sounded it often"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1257937948424757248?s=20

"We notified countries, issued guidance for #healthworkers within 10 days & declared a global health emergency, our highest level of alert, on the 30th of Jan. At the time, there were less than 100 cases & no deaths outside 🇨🇳"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1222968733829865477?s=20

"We’ve:

-provided technical guidance & strategic advice, based on the latest science & experience.

-supported countries to adapt & implement that guidance"@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1254835587279998976?s=20

"We've

-shipped diagnostics, personal protective equipment, oxygen & other medical supplies to 120+ countries

-trained more than 2.6 million #healthworkers, in 23 languages"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1255091873334595585?s=20

"We've:

driven research and development, through the Solidarity Trial

-called for equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics through the ACT Accelerator"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1253675702005760001?s=20

"We’ve:

-informed, engaged & empowered people

-fought the infodemic, combating myths with reliable information

-called consistently for the two essential ingredients for conquering #COVID19: national unity & global solidarity"-@DrTedros #WHA73

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1226169929503793152?s=20

"We all have lessons to learn from the #COVID19 pandemic.

Every country and every organization must examine its response and learn from its experience.

WHO is committed to transparency, accountability and continuous improvement"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"In fact, the existing independent accountability mechanisms are already in operation.
The Independent Oversight Advisory Committee has today published its 1st report on the #COVID19 pandemic, with several recommendations for both the Secretariat & Member States"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"We welcome the proposed resolution before #WHA73, which calls for a step-wise process of impartial, independent & comprehensive evaluation.

To be truly comprehensive, such an evaluation must encompass the entirety of the response by all actors, in good faith"-@DrTedros #COVID19

"I will initiate an independent evaluation at the earliest appropriate moment to review experience gained & lessons learned & to make recommendations to improve national & global pandemic preparedness and response"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"One thing is abundantly clear. The 🌍 must never be the same.

We do not need a review to tell us that we must all do everything in our power to ensure this never happens again"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

"Whatever lessons there are to learn from the #COVID19 pandemic, the greatest failing would be to not learn from them & to leave the 🌍 in the same vulnerable state it was before"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"If there is anything positive to come from the #COVID19 pandemic, it must be a safer and more resilient world"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"Reviews after SARS, the H1N1 pandemic & the West African Ebola epidemic highlighted shortcomings in global health security & made numerous recommendations for countries to address those gaps.

Some were implemented; others went unheeded"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"The SARS outbreak gave rise to the revision of the International Health Regulations, in 2005;

The H1N1 pandemic saw the creation of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"And the #Ebola outbreak of 2014 and 15 led to the establishment of the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility, the WHO Emergencies Programme and the Independent Oversight Advisory Committee"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"The world doesn’t need another plan, another system, another mechanism, another committee or another organization.

It needs to strengthen, implement and finance the systems and organizations it has – including WHO"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"The 🌍 can no longer afford the short-term amnesia that has characterised its response to health security for too long"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"The time has come to weave together the disparate strands of global health security into an unbreakable chain – a comprehensive framework for epidemic & pandemic preparedness"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"The 🌍 does not lack the tools, the science, or the resources to make it safer from pandemics. What it has lacked is the sustained commitment to use the tools, the science and the resources it has.

That must change, and it must change today"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

"Today I am calling on all nations to resolve that they will do everything it takes to ensure that the 2020 #COVID19 pandemic is never repeated"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"I am calling on all nations to invest in strengthening and implementing the many tools at our disposal – especially the global treaty that underpins global health security: the International Health Regulations"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #WHA73

"To be successful, we must all commit to mutual ownership & accountability.

One way to do that, proposed by the Africa Group, is through a system of universal periodic review, in which countries agree to a regular & transparent review of each nation’s preparedness"-@DrTedros

"Since my election at this assembly three years ago, I have made a priority of transforming WHO into an organization that is agile and responsive, focused on outcomes and impact"-@DrTedros #WHA73 #HealthForAll

"At its heart are the ambitious “triple billion” targets:
1 billion more people enjoying better health and well-being.
1 billion more people benefiting from universal health coverage;
And 1 billion more people better protected from health emergencies"-@DrTedros #HealthForAll

"The WHO Results Report, launched today, provides a comprehensive picture of what WHO, its Member States and partners have achieved in the past two years"-@DrTedros #WHOImpact #WHA73

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1262198391255306240?s=20

"On healthy populations, we’ve made important progress to improve the air people breathe, the food they eat, the water they drink, the roads they use, and the conditions in which they live and work"-@DrTedros #WHOImpact #WHA73

"On universal health coverage, the world came together last year to endorse the political declaration on UHC – an unprecedented commitment to the ideal of #HealthForAll"-@DrTedros #WHOImpact #WHA73

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1176143368314920960?s=20

"We’ve expanded access to prevention, testing and treatment for HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, hepatitis C, hypertension, diabetes, cancer and more.

To keep the 🌍 safe, WHO has investigated, when necessary, & responded to more than 900 events in 141 countries"-@DrTedros #WHOImpact

"In the coming year, we will launch the WHO Academy to provide training for millions more #healthworkers around the 🌍.
The WHO Foundation will be launched, to broaden WHO's donor base.
I am proud of the #WHOImpact made in these & many other areas"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"However, much work remains to be done.
Even before #COVID19, the world was off track for the @GlobalGoalsUN.
The pandemic threatens to set us back even further.
It exploits and exacerbates existing gaps in gender equality, poverty, hunger and more"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"#COVID19 is not just a global health emergency, it’s a vivid demonstration of the fact that there is no health security without resilient health systems, or without addressing the social, economic, commercial and environmental determinants of health"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"More than ever, #COVID19 illustrates why investing in health must be at the centre of development.

Health is not a reward for development; it’s a prerequisite.

Health is not a cost; it’s an investment.

Health is a pathway to security, prosperity and peace"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"40 years ago, the nations of the world came together under the banner of WHO to rid the world of #smallpox.
They showed that when solidarity triumphs over ideology, anything is possible"-@DrTedros #WHA73

The #COVID19 pandemic is posing a similar threat – not just to human health, but to the human spirit.
We have a long road ahead in our struggle against this virus"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"The #COVID19 pandemic has tested, strengthened and strained the bonds of fellowship between nations.
But it has not broken them"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"The #COVID19 pandemic is asking us two fundamental questions:

What sort of world do we want?

And what sort of WHO do we want?

The answer to the first question will determine the answer to the second"-@DrTedros #WHA73

"Now more than ever, we need a healthier world.

Now more than ever, we need a safer world.

Now more than ever, we need a fairer world.

And now more than ever, we need a stronger WHO.

There is no other way forward but together"-@DrTedros #WHA73

Here are few photos of @DrTedros delivering opening remarks at the virtual #WHA73

The full opening remarks by @DrTedros at the virtual #WHA73 👇

bit.ly/2X9wueK

The #WHA73 have elected Ms Keva Bain, Permanent Representative of the #Bahamas🇧🇸 to the UN in Geneva as the President of the 73rd World Health Assembly.

The #WHA73 have elected the 5 Vice-Presidents of the 73rd World Health Assembly:
China🇨🇳
Congo🇨🇬
San Marino🇸🇲
Sudan🇸🇩
Thailand🇹🇭

#Switzerland🇨🇭 assured its full and total support to the WHO, based on support for multilateralism, solidarity & intl cooperation.
-🇨🇭 President @s_sommaruga at #WHA73

#Switzerland🇨🇭 is working to set up a coalition of countries, each of which will represent a region of the world.
The purpose of this is to guarantee global, universal health security, with the WHO at the core of that - 🇨🇭 President @s_sommaruga at #WHA73

The fragility exposed by the #coronavirus is not limited to our health systems. It affects all areas of our world and our institutions
- @UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres at #WHA73

#COVID19 must be a wake up call - @UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres at #WHA73

From nurses, doctors & midwives to technicians & administrators, millions of healthcare workers are putting themselves in harm's way every day to protect us.
We owe them our deepest appreciation and solidarity.

- @UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres at #WHA73

The entire @UN family stands with the thousands of our WHO colleagues, who are working around the world to support Member States in saving the lives and protecting the vulnerable. We thank you for your service.

-@UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres at #WHA73

The WHO is irreplaceable - it needs immense resources particularly to provide support to developing countries which must be our greatest concern. We are strong as the weakest health systems.

-@UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres at #WHA73

I saw the courage & determination of WHO personnel working to end the #Ebola outbreak in #DRC.
It is largely thanks to their efforts in very difficult & dangerous conditions that new infections have been contained & we are counting down to end the outbreak

-@UN @antonioguterres

#China🇨🇳 will provide US$2 billion over 2 years to support #COVID19 response and economic + social development in affected countries, especially developing countries

- China President, Xi Jinping at #WHA73

#China🇨🇳 will work with the @UN to set up a global humanitarian response depot & hub in China, to ensure the operation of #COVID19 pandemic response supply chains

- China President Xi Jinping at #WHA73

#China🇨🇳 will establish a cooperation mechanism to pair up with 30 African hospitals and accelerate the building of @AfricaCDC headquarters.

- China President, Xi Jinping at #WHA73

This is one of the most important assemblies in the history of the WHO. It must be a moment for unity, solidarity, clear thought & action in the face of what is an unprecedented global crisis affecting all of us
-#France🇫🇷 President @EmmanuelMacron #WHA73

The #COVID19 pandemic has of course turned our lives & our societies upside down. It’s reminded us - if we needed such a reminder, of how valuable human health is, and how valuable those who work to protect it are.
- 🇫🇷 President @EmmanuelMacron #WHA73

Together with WHO, we achieved 📈 life expectancy, reduced child mortality, eradicated fatal diseases e.g. smallpox, waging against TB, malaria & HIV, 📈 access to medical treatment, vaccination, strengthen health systems
- 🇫🇷 @EmmanuelMacron #WHA73

Only if we join forces will we beat this #COVID19 pandemic.
We need WHO for its irreplaceable coordinating role, scientific expertise, knowledge of the situation on the ground.
We need a strong WHO & the WHO is us: Member States.
-🇫🇷 @EmmanuelMacron #WHA73

My utmost respect and gratitude go to the medical and quarantine professionals in each country putting themselves at risk to protect the health and safety of humanity.
-Republic of #Korea 🇰🇷 President @moonriver365 at #WHA73

Such vaccines and treatments are public goods that must be distributed equitably to the whole world.
The Republic of #Korea fully supports the efforts of the WHO to develop vaccines and treatments.

-🇰🇷 President @moonriver365 at #WHA73

This year, the Republic of #Korea is planning to provide humanitarian assistance worth US$100 million... To safeguard the health of all humanity, we will continue to work closely with the WHO.

-🇰🇷 President @moonriver365 at #WHA73

In the face of crisis human kind must choose solidarity & cooperation over the pursue of individual interest.
The world must unite under the banner of mutual trust & inclusiveness in the face of deepening #COVID19 crisis.

-🇰🇷 @moonriver365 at #WHA73

It showed that virtually no country has been spared by this pandemic so no country can solve this problem alone.
We must work together.

-Chancellor of #Germany🇩🇪, Angela Merkel, #WHA73

WHO is the legitimate world organization for the area of health, so we should continue to work to improve procedures within the WHO. We also need to also look at the financing to ensure it is sustainable.

-Chancellor of #Germany🇩🇪, Angela Merkel at #WHA63

We must, first of all, combat this #COVID19 pandemic.
We need to put in place a solution that everyone can stand behind. I am convinced that we will be able to overcome this pandemic when we work together.
-Chancellor of #Germany🇩🇪, Angela Merkel at #WHA63

Early on @CARICOMorg decided that we cannot fight the illness and that we had to delay the arrival of #COVID 19 into the region as far as possible.

- #Barbados🇧🇧 Prime Minister, @miaamormottley at the #WHA73

#Barbados investment in & preparedness of public health officials over the decades has permitted us to do the type of public health surveillance to detect cases, trace & quarantine contacts, isolate & treat the ill.

-🇧🇧 PM, @miaamormottley #WHA73

#COVID19 has brought many of us closer than we have ever been with each other. It has equally cast the brighter light on the inequities in our society. It has also allowed the earth to breathe yet again.

-#Barbados🇧🇧 Prime Minister, @miaamormottley #WHA73

Appreciation to @DrTedros & WHO for the appointment of Andrew Witty & @NOIweala for the access to #COVID19 tools accelerator - to ensure a framework for equitable access to tests, therapeutics & a vaccine if ever there's one.
-🇧🇧 PM, @miaamormottley #WHA73

The #COVID19 pandemic has highlighted the dangerous & growing inequalities that exists between countries and within them.

-#SouthAfrica🇿🇦 President @CyrilRamaphosa at the #WHA73

Need to accept the reality that this #coronavirus will be with us for some time. The social distancing hygiene & other protocols recommended by WHO must become part of our everyday life.

-#SouthAfrica🇿🇦 President @CyrilRamaphosa at the #WHA73

Africa affirms its full support for WHO, which has been key in guiding the intl response to the #COVID19 pandemic.
WHO has been instrumental in providing guidance & support to African governments.

-#SouthAfrica🇿🇦 President
@CyrilRamaphosa at the #WHA73

We fully support the initiative by WHO with other govts in assisting developing countries.
#SouthAfrica is participating in several research initiatives.
We must ensure equitable access to medical equipment & techs in all respects.
-🇿🇦 @CyrilRamaphosa

The #coronavirus has demonstrated the essential value of #HealthForAll and this is where we need full solidarity.

-#SouthAfrica🇿🇦 President @CyrilRamaphosa at the #WHA73