06/17/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/17/2025 09:11
Honourable Minister Alexandre Padilha,
Honourable Ministers of Health,
Excellencies, Dear colleagues and friends,
Thank you for the opportunity to address you today, and I am sorry I cannot join you in person.
I commend Brazil on its global health leadership, as President of the G20 last year, and as President of the BRICS and COP this year.
I also thank Brazil for its leadership, under Ambassador Celso Amorim and Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes, throughout the negotiation and adoption of the Pandemic Agreement at the World Health Assembly last month.
Last year, I had the honour of being in Brazil for the launch of the National Plan for the Elimination of Socially Determined Diseases.
I commend the BRICS countries, under Brazil's presidency, for your commitment to these diseases that affect the most vulnerable.
I look forward to the launch of the International Alliance for the Elimination of Socially Determined Diseases and Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Just a few weeks ago at the World Health Assembly, we honoured several BRICS countries for their achievements against these diseases.
WHO certified Egypt for malaria elimination, Brazil for lymphatic filariasis, and India for trachoma.
We also recognized Brazil, China and India on the subnational validation of the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis are truly significant achievements.
WHO is working closely with the BRICS TB Research Network on global initiatives such as the WHO TB Vaccine Accelerator Council.
Elimination of any disease, and particularly those rooted in poverty, social inequities and stigma, requires political will, sustainable funding, and a whole-of-society approach.
But many people still lack access to affordable, quality health services and products.
Sudden cuts to official development assistance have made things even worse, disrupting services and access to treatment for millions of people.
WHO is supporting countries to navigate this challenging period and sustain health services.
At the same time, many health ministers have told me that they also see this crisis as an opportunity to leave behind the era of aid dependency and move towards sustainable self-reliance, by mobilizing domestic resources.
There are many tools available to countries to improve efficiency and generate new revenue for health.
For example, by introducing or increasing taxes on tobacco and alcohol, through pooled procurement, public health insurance, and by using health technology assessments to ensure countries get the biggest health benefit for the money.
Most importantly, countries must improve domestic revenue and tax systems, to generate sustainable flows of public funding for health, education, infrastructure and other essential government services.
However, efficiency gains and domestic revenue generation alone will not be enough for many countries, who will need concessional loans to support the most cost-effective investments, aligned to country priorities and flowing through country systems.
The Financing for Development conference in Seville later this month, will also provide an opportunity to promote the integration of climate and development financing, enabling countries to access more resources to invest in health infrastructure, services, and technologies.
I thank all BRICS countries for your continued support for a sustainable and resilient WHO, and we look forward to working with you to build a healthier, safer and fairer world - in the BRICS and everywhere.
Obrigado. I thank you.