WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the UNGA Side event 2025 - Launch of the Global report on hypertension – 23 September 2025

Honourable Ministers, recognizing my minister Dr Mekdes,

My friend Dr Tom Frieden,

Dr Kelly Henning,

Distinguished guests, dear colleagues and friends,

It is a great honour to launch WHO's second Global Report on Hypertension, together with Bloomberg Philanthropies and Resolve to Save Lives.

I thank my good friends Mike Bloomberg and Dr Tom Frieden for their leadership and partnership in this area, and so many others.

Years ago, Tom came to WHO for a meeting about hypertension, and I remember vividly an expression he used that caught my attention and has stuck with me ever since.

He said that people with hypertension are like "walking bombs" - they carry a deadly condition that could go off at any time.

And every year, it does go off in 11 million people, cutting their lives short and robbing families of someone they love, and economies of billions of dollars in health costs and lost productivity.

Imagine: that's the entire population of New York City and Chicago combined - wiped out, every single year.

No other risk factor or pathogen claims as many lives.

Globally, more than 1.4 billion people live with hypertension - including me.

I am one of the lucky ones. My hypertension is well managed with medication.

And that is the great paradox of hypertension - that it can be controlled, with relatively inexpensive medication.

But globally, only around one in five people with hypertension have it under control.

In 99 countries, control rates remain below 20%. Millions remain undiagnosed, untreated, or poorly managed.

The biggest barrier is access: access to medicines, and access to affordable, validated blood pressure devices.

That's the challenge, but it's also the opportunity.

Because if we can control hypertension in just half of those affected, we can make a massive difference - preventing 76 million deaths by 2050 and saving US$ 100 billion every year in health costs.

This report shows that it can be done.

It contains real-life examples from Bangladesh, the Philippines, and the Republic of Korea.

As we will hear today, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, India and Indonesia are also making life-saving progress.

The key factors for success are the same across all of these countries: political leadership; sustainable financing; community engagement; and integration of hypertension care into universal health coverage.

Many have used the WHO HEARTS technical package to strengthen primary care, expand team-based services, standardize treatment, and improve access to affordable medicines and devices.

Hypertension control is one of the most cost-effective interventions in public health. But it requires leadership and investment.

And above all, it requires the conviction that every life matters.

As you know, this week we expect world leaders to approve a political declaration on non-communicable diseases and mental health, with ambitious targets:

150 million fewer people using tobacco; 150 million more with hypertension under control; and 150 million more with access to mental health care.

These targets are a floor, not a ceiling, and countries can - and must - aim higher.

Honourable ministers, dear colleagues,

Compared with some other persistent challenges in global health, hypertension is low-hanging fruit.

We know what the problem is, and we have affordable solutions.

So what's stopping us?

Let's confront the challenge, embrace the opportunity, and save lives.

The opportunity is before us. The responsibility is ours. The time is now.

I thank you.