Thread by @WHO

Opening of the Small Island Developing States Summit for health with @DrTedros pscp.tv/w/c6gowDI2MTAy…

"I would like to warmly welcome you to the SIDS Summit for Health, the first ever gathering of leaders focusing exclusively on health in Small Island Developing States. Today is about you and the many health threats your nations face"-@DrTedros

"#COVID19 has presented a dire economic and health crisis for SIDS, while other health risks such as #ClimateChange, non-communicable diseases and malnutrition have further put your communities at risk"-@DrTedros

"Despite these serious risks, SIDS have proven to be true health leaders, safeguarding the health and well-being of your communities while at the same time catalysing political momentum for the global health goals"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1409425627841761280?s=20

"Many of you have succeeded in preventing widespread transmission of #COVID19 in your communities. But I know the pandemic has hit you hard in other ways, such as declining revenues from tourism affecting your economies significantly"-@DrTedros

"The major hurdle to recovery remains equitable access to #COVID19 vaccines. Through #COVAX, we have so far been able to deliver two million vaccines to 31 Small Island Developing States, as well as other essential health products"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1409425903931756546?s=20

"We know that this is nowhere near enough for your needs & we're working hard to find ways of increasing production & #VaccinEquity. We face the same problem around the 🌍 as 💉 inequities & 💉 nationalism further deepen the divide between high & lower-income nations"-@DrTedros

"In the past weeks, we have seen encouraging signs, with recent commitments from vaccine producing countries to share hundreds of millions of doses. But that’s still not nearly enough. We need more, and we need them to come faster"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

"We also need to greatly expand and invest in local production, so that the world will not be dependent upon just a few countries to produce vaccines and other essential health products"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

"But even once the #COVID19 pandemic subsides, we know that many of you will still be left facing many of the same health challenges you had before it struck"-@DrTedros

"In 2019 I was privileged to visit several islands in the Pacific, including FIji, Tahiti , Tuvalu, Tonga, and the Bahamas to see the impact that #ClimateChange is having on these countries"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1177708455550996480?s=20

"The SIDS Summit for Health offers an opportunity to galvanize targeted support for a healthy and resilient future in Small Island Developing States. That means strengthening financing, workforce capacity, data and evidence, and partnerships across SIDS"-@DrTedros

"And we also want to ensure that WHO support is fit-for-purpose in SIDS, which is why this Summit is so important"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1409427937040998401?s=20

"Let me suggest a few key areas where WHO can offer its support:
1⃣We must work together for #VaccinEquity. That means sharing 💉 now & investing in local & regional production.
[...]
We also need the sharing of know-how, technology, licenses & the waiving of IP rights"-@DrTedros

"2⃣WHO has helped SIDS to mobilize funds for #ClimateChange adaptation, resilient health systems, food security, & emergency preparedness & response.
[...]
WHO offers our support to SIDS in better utilizing financing platforms, such as the Green Climate Fund"-@DrTedros

"3⃣We can work with you to scale-up integrated services to prevent and #BeatNCDs, especially obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and tobacco use"-@DrTedros

"4⃣WHO will continue to support your efforts to progress towards universal health coverage, and to strengthen #PrimaryHealthCare workforces and data platforms. We will also continue our existing work with you to expand pooled procurement and regulatory schemes"-@DrTedros

"5⃣We must all learn the lessons the #COVID19 pandemic is teaching us. We must do everything we can to prepare for, prevent, detect and respond rapidly to future epidemics and pandemics, based upon a foundation of universal health coverage & strong #PrimaryHealthCare"-@DrTedros

"There is no global health security without local health security.
[...]
A #PandemicTreaty would foster improved sharing, trust and accountability, and help strengthen national, regional and global capacities for global health security"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros The full remarks by @DrTedros 👇
bit.ly/3jhxwCc

To watch the next panel on Tackling the noncommunicable diseases and mental health crises for healthier Small Island Developing States, visit our website: bit.ly/3y4ejI6 #BeatNCDs

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of premature death - over 50% - in Small Island Developing States (SIDS):
-In the Pacific alone, 7 in 10 deaths are due to NCDs
bit.ly/3h0MtXP #BeatNCDs

#MentalHealth conditions are common in SIDS:
-In the Caribbean population over 15% have a mental health disorder
-Kiribati and Micronesia (Federated States) have the 5th and 6th highest standardized suicide rates globally.
bit.ly/3h0MtXP

The risk factors for noncommunicable diseases & mental health in SIDS are strikingly high:
28% of adults do not engage in enough physical activity
23% smoke tobacco
56% are overweight: half of them obese.
bit.ly/3h0MtXP #BeatNCDs

Experiencing violence is a risk factor for mental illness. Globally, 1 in 3 (35%) of women will experience interpersonal violence in their lifetime. In Pacific Island countries, this rate is much higher; in some of these countries, it is more than 60%. bit.ly/3h0MtXP

To #BeatNCDs in SIDS, WHO calls for:
- an Action Centre to effectively address noncommunicable diseases & mental health
-more resources to support health services
-integration of mental health considerations into health system strengthening bit.ly/3h0MtXP

Virginia Legaile leads one of the specialized #BeatNCDs clinics in #SolomonIslands - part of the 🇸🇧 programme to enable health facilities to identify people who have NCDs & to treat them effectively.⁣ bit.ly/3y0q7v3

A panel on accelerating the health response to #ClimateChange in SIDS is ongoing. You can watch it here: bit.ly/3y4ejI6

All populations are at risk of #ClimateChange, but Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are experiencing a range of acute to long-term risks, from extreme heatwaves, floods, storms & drought, to increased risks of diseases, including the mental health. bit.ly/3y2fFDi

Sea-level rise threatens fragile healthcare facilities in SIDS, which are often located in coastal or low-lying areas, the lives and livelihoods of people, and, ultimately, the very existence of their nations. bit.ly/3y2fFDi #ClimateChange

SIDS face challenges to provide effective, affordable & climate-resilient health systems to serve populations which are often geographically dispersed, living in precarious conditions, & are exposed to increasingly extreme weather events. bit.ly/3y2fFDi #ClimateChange

SIDS are leaders in the international negotiations on #ClimateChange, with a high awareness of the close relationship between environmental and social determinants and health, reflected, for example, in the Healthy Islands approach in the Pacific. bit.ly/3dmTX5c

To support SIDS with the political, technical, evidence and financial support to better understand and address the effects of #ClimateChange on health, WHO launched a Special Initiative in 2018: bit.ly/3he1Drx

To learn more about progress being made on #ClimateChange and health in SIDS, you can visit:
🌏 the country profiles: bit.ly/3l1LtCl
🌎 the WHO Dynamic dashboard 👉 bit.ly/3gZBXQw

Over the past 40 years, the impacts of #ClimateChange, natural disasters, land degradation, exploitation of oceanic resources, changing diets & lifestyles have led to multiple forms of malnutrition in SIDS to such an extent that they now face a health emergency.

Changing dietary preferences & a growing reliance on imports has contributed to malnutrition in SIDS.

In Caribbean & Pacific, over 80% of food is now imported, & more than 85% of adults do not consume the recommended 400g or more of 🍊 & 🥬 each day. bit.ly/3hkCFGU

To improve their dietary situation, it is recommended that SIDS implement policies to create healthy, safe & sustainable food environments such as: restricting marketing of unhealthy foods, nutrition labelling policies, fiscal policies & others. bit.ly/3hkCFGU

Lack of adequate health facilities, health workforce shortages, & inappropriate access to health products compounded by complex procurement mechanisms are characteristics that typify the majority of SIDS. Where healthcare is accessible, it is often fragmented & of poor quality.

8 of the 41 SIDS face pressing health workforce challenges related to #HealthForAll.

#COVID19 has heavily impacted the health workers – including their heightened risk of infection & death, burnout, fatigue, discrimination & mental health issues. bit.ly/360JGYk

✅Building resilient health systems
✅Increasing investments in health workforce education, recruitment & decent work
✅Improving access & affordability to quality medical supplies
are imperatives for SIDS to achieve #HealthForAll & health security.

bit.ly/360JGYk

Many SIDS have succeeded in preventing widespread #COVID19 transmission, but the pandemic has disrupted their undiversified economies. Significant concerns are raised about #VaccinEquity as SIDS are primarily relying on the #COVAX sharing arrangements. bit.ly/3qwGTiW