Resident Coordinator's Speech in WHO Ceremony on World Health Day

Your Excellencies,

Colleagues, Esteemed guests,

Good morning to all,

I am pleased to celebrate with all of you today, two momentous occasions.

The first occasion is World Health Day. Like every year, April 7 is commemorated as World Health Day, a day we all, Member States, UN agencies, and partners celebrate together to highlight the overriding importance of health that constitutes an intrinsic element of any development, and which is at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This year's World Health Day theme is ‘Health for All’, a commitment that the UN has collectively taken to ensure this basic human right is accessible and available to all.

‘Health for All’ also highlights the UN's commitment to Equity. Universal Health coverage is a common global goal that all UN agencies and global partners are aiming to reach by 2030 by investing their social, economic, and environmental resources.

The SDGs are structured around the five pillars of the 2030 Agenda, which are also at the heart of Lebanon’s UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. These revolve around People, Peace, Planet, Prosperity, and Partnership. While ‘Health’ is essentially People-focused, it is tightly correlated to the remaining 4 Ps.

In times of crisis and social instability, ‘Health’ is a critical aspect of the UN’s support in terms of saving lives and maintaining access to basic healthcare services.

Concurrently, climate change and environmental degradation have now become a main health concern for many populations, including for the people of Lebanon. Also, global health threats and pandemics are sobering realities for prosperous and developing countries alike. The COVID-19 Pandemic is a sheer example of that and of how health can forge and foster partnership between health service providers, government institutions, private and public sectors on the one hand, and between countries on the other hand.

The second occasion we’re celebrating today is the 75th anniversary of the creation of the World Health Organization (WHO). From the first International Sanitary Conference held in Paris in 1851 to the establishment of WHO on April 7, 1948, global health conceptualization went a long way.

Indeed, for the past 75 years, global health made a big leap. Health, nowadays, has become a shared responsibility that calls for equitable access to essential care, equitable access to information for better and informed health choices, and collective protection against transnational threats.

On this dual occasion, and on behalf of the UN family in Lebanon, I reiterate our unwavering support for the inalienable ‘Right to Health Services, Health Information, and Health Protection’ for all.

Thank you.