Your Excellency, President of the Philippines Benigno S. Aquino III;
Honourable cabinet secretaries and officials of the Philippine Government;
Honourable ministers of health and representatives of Member States;
Distinguished partners and members of the diplomatic corps;
Ladies and gentlemen:
On behalf of the Member States of the Western Pacific Region and the more than 150 representatives here today, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to President Aquino and his Government for hosting this sixty-fifth session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific.
WHO and the Philippines have enjoyed a close working relationship since 1951 when the Philippines donated the land on which the Regional Office now sits.
Last year on World Health Day, WHO gave special recognition to President Aquino for his accomplishments in health.
The Aquino Health Agenda was launched in 2010 with the aim achieving universal health care for all Filipinos, starting with the country's most vulnerable citizens.
Like many countries in the Region, the Philippines has focused on expanding enrolment in its national health insurance programme to protect people from the catastrophic costs of ill health.
At the same time, the country is striving to improve access to and the quality of health services — often in the face of steep challenges.
As you recall, last November Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, killing thousands of people and displacing millions more. WHO is still on the scene in the typhoon-affected areas helping to rebuild and get the country's health and development goals back on track.
It is an honour for us to serve.
Across the Region, we are ready to assist ALL of you, our Member States, with whatever health challenges the future holds. Together, we will address some of those challenges this week in the session of our governing body, the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific.
Our main agenda includes critical issues such as mental health, tobacco control, antimicrobial resistance, vaccines, and emergencies and disasters.
Each year, when the Regional Committee meets, we also review our progress in priority areas of public health to ensure we are meeting the goals you, our Member States, have set.
We will be reviewing the progress towards the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005) core capacities, a topic of particular interest considering the current Ebola crisis.
Representatives will also share experiences and views on the progress made in other areas, including malaria, tuberculosis, dengue, environmental health, violence and injury prevention, nutrition, food safety and the Millennium Development Goals.
Once again, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Government of the Philippines for the hard work and care they have taken to host us at this beautiful venue.
Working together, this session of the Regional Committee gives us all the opportunity to help define and light the path forward — to health and well-being for all the 1.8 billion people that call this rich and diverse Region home. Thank you.