Chair and Vice Chair of the Regional Forum;
Policy Advisers on Environment and Health;
WHO colleagues;
Ladies and gentlemen:
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the First Meeting of Western Pacific Regional Office Policy Advisors on Environment and Health.
As we speak, millions of people continue to be exposed to daily environmental risks that cause widespread sickness — such as unsafe water, improperly disposed waste, air pollution, hazardous and toxic chemicals.
At the same time, entire communities in our Region face displacement due to extreme climate conditions.
In our Region and globally, we must redouble efforts to protect the environment and live in more sustainable ways.
The role of the health sector may seem limited to some. But we do have a crucial role to play.
To begin with, we must do a better job of providing decision-makers with information and evidence of the impacts of environmental neglect on human health. We must advocate policies in other sectors that will result in better health outcomes.
The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific places a high priority on environment and health issues.
We are honoured to have such experts here to assist in developing an overarching strategy. Your work will help Member States to improve policies, programmes and whole-of-government approaches to environmental health issues.
Over the next two days, we look forward to hearing your views on many matters.
We will discuss WHO policy directions in the Region, including inputs to the three-year work plan for the Fourth Ministerial Meeting in October 2016.
We will also discuss how to optimize opportunities within existing regional initiatives by leveraging resources and strengthening collaboration with international partners.
Likewise, we look forward to your candid input on the type of governance and leadership needed to collaborate with sectors involved in health and the environment.
We also hope to hear your views on mechanisms for improving engagement with stakeholders across the Region and within countries.
Your guidance on the pathway towards the next ministerial conference and beyond will be crucial.
As we set priorities between now and 2020, we must be mindful to fulfil the promises of the Framework for Cooperation and the Kuala Lumpur Declaration.
Finally, we value your insights in general on key global and regional events that can help advance the agenda for health and the environment.
As you know, I share your deep commitment to these issues. I look forward to reviewing your recommendations from this meeting.
Thank you.