Thread by @WHO

LIVE: #WHOAcademy Groundbreaking Ceremony with @DrTedros and President @EmmanuelMacron twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron "I’m delighted to be in Lyon today for this groundbreaking ceremony for the #WHOAcademy. And I would especially like to thank you, President @EmmanuelMacron, for your commitment and support for the WHO Academy, but also for WHO and global health more generally"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron "I have especially appreciated your [President @EmmanuelMacron's] leadership and support during the #COVID19 pandemic, including the important role you played in the initial discussions for what became the @ACTAccelerator"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1442492737278906372?s=20

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "But the close relationship between #France and WHO goes back much further than the #COVID19 pandemic. Indeed, the #WHOAcademy is the latest expression of 🇫🇷’s longstanding support for WHO and its historic commitment to advancing global health"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "This goes back to 1851, when the first International Sanitary Conference was held in Paris. Later, the first International Office of Public Hygiene – the forerunner of the WHO – was founded in Paris in 1907"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1442493708612423680?s=20

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "Under President @EmmanuelMacron's leadership, the Government of #France has been a driver and principal investor in the #WHOAcademy and has done much to guide its development"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1138484413715681283?s=20

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "I would also like to thank the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region, the Lyon metropole and the City of Lyon for your strong support, investment and hospitality, for bringing us to this moment"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "I also express my gratitude to Alain Merieux & Gerard Mestrallet who play a key role in mobilizing the private sector and local partners. I would like to recognize the generous support of the Buffet Foundation, which has helped to bring us to this moment"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "It’s a moment that has been 4 years in the making. Shortly after I become Director-General in 2017, we set about transforming WHO into an organization that was more responsive to the needs of countries, and more effective in meeting those needs"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "As we asked our Member States and our own workforce what they needed from WHO, the answer was consistent: training"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1442494544684077061?s=20

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "Countries told us they needed support to build their capacities for emergency preparedness & response, to respond to the dual challenge of communicable & noncommunicable diseases, & to strengthen every facet of their health systems"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1442494606168363016?s=20

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "WHO has long been known for its world-class technical guidance across a huge range of health issues. But that guidance has not always delivered the impact it should in countries"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "We need to find ways of making sure WHO guidance is applied & delivers results faster. We must make sure #healthworkers can access learning opportunities that will help them apply the latest WHO guidance & make a real difference in the lives of the people they serve"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "The #COVID19 pandemic is a powerful reminder of the how critical #healthworkers are, and why they need investment, decent jobs, and the most up-to-date information, competencies and tools to keep their communities healthy and safe"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "Global health challenges are constantly evolving, and so must the way we learn. Traditional classroom-based, in-person training is valuable, but is inadequate in its impact, scale and speed to meet global health challenges"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "Four years ago, WHO launched OpenWHO.org, an online learning platform for making WHO’s evidence-based learning available to mass audiences globally"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "During the #COVID19 pandemic, we have developed 38 courses, offered in 56 languages, with almost 6 million learner enrolments. 70% of enrolments are from low- and middle-income countries"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1442496465717403651?s=20

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "This OpenWHO.org platform provides powerful proof of concept for the #WHOAcademy, which we expect to have even greater reach and greater impact"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "From its base here in Lyon, the #WHOAcademy will be a school for the future, and for the whole world. Our ambitions are not modest: to transform lifelong learning for health impact globally"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "Using state-of-the-art learning technologies and advancements in learning science, the #WHOAcademy will expand worldwide access to the highest quality learning"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "#WHOAcademy will:
-deliver multilingual, personalised learning programmes in digital, in-person & blended formats
-building the competencies of millions of people, incl. health workers, managers, educators, ministries of health & the public"-
@DrTedros

@DrTedros @EmmanuelMacron @ACTAccelerator "The #WHOAcademy will work closely with partners in Lyon and around the world. And although it will have its roots in #France, as part of WHO, the Academy will belong to the whole world, and we seek the engagement of all nations in making it a success"-@DrTedros

"We also look forward to establishing regional hubs, using existing health institutions, to extend and expand the #WHOAcademy’s reach"-@DrTedros

"The Lyon campus – to be completed in 2023 – will reflect WHO’s values and ambitions: it will be an innovative, accessible, eco-friendly, collaborative and interactive facility in the heart of Lyon’s bio-medical district"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

"This futuristic campus will blend smart architecture and the latest innovations in adult learning"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

"Its high-tech simulation facility, unlike any in the world, will use virtual and augmented reality to prepare learners from around the world for disaster response and other health emergencies, in realistic field conditions"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

"In future, we hope the #WHOAcademy will also have a research role, complementing the work of @IARCWHO, which is also based in Lyon"-@DrTedros

@IARCWHO @DrTedros "2021 has been designated the Year of the Health and Care Worker, recognizing the invaluable contribution that health and care workers make to our lives and our world"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

@IARCWHO @DrTedros "But that recognition must be more than lip service. We owe it to health & care workers to ensure they have the knowledge, the tools & the competencies to do their jobs to the best of their ability"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1442499011919835140?s=20

@IARCWHO @DrTedros "That’s what the #WHOAcademy is all about. It’s an investment in equity, health, education and technology. But ultimately, it’s an investment in people, and in a healthier, safer, fairer future"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1442499163560849413?s=20

@IARCWHO @DrTedros "Merci encore, Monsieur le Président @EmmanuelMacron. And thank you once again to the city and metropole of Lyon, the regional council, and to the government and people of #France 🇫🇷 for your hospitality and commitment"-@DrTedros #WHOAcademy

The full remarks by @DrTedros at the #WHOAcademy groundbreaking ceremony in Lyon - 27 September 2021: bit.ly/3EVfo9E