*Errors and omissions excepted (E&OE)
Esteemed representatives of the Philippine Government and the Diplomatic Corps;
Friends from the media;
Distinguished participants;
Ladies and gentlemen:
Good morning and welcome to our virtual celebration of World Health Day and thank you for joining us.
WHO was founded 73 years ago with the mission of seeking the highest possible standard of health for all people – regardless of their race, religion, political belief, economic and social condition.
World Health Day is WHO’s birthday – which we usually mark by celebrating progress towards better health. But of course, 2021 is different: we are now into the second year of a once-in-a-century pandemic, which is testing our collective ability to ensure the highest possible standard of health for all.
COVID-19 has now resulted in almost 2.9 million deaths around the world, including almost 32,000 deaths in our Region. I think with great sadness of the many lives that have been lost – each one of those deaths a person with a story; each one of them somebody’s daughter, son, mother, father, brother, sister, grandparents, colleagues and friends.
The theme for this year’s World Health Day – “Building a Fairer, Healthier World” – is very timely. It draws attention to the need for us to seize this moment so that we emerge from the pandemic stronger. And it highlights the fact that to do this, we must pay greater attention to addressing inequity.
We’ve been responding to COVID-19 for fifteen months now. We have all been affected by COVID-19: both by the virus – and by the measures countries have needed to take to control and suppress it. But some have been affected more than others. Unfortunately, the pandemic has amplified many existing inequities, and even created new ones. Allow me to briefly explain.
First, we’ve seen that when the virus reaches these vulnerable groups it causes much more damage to them than it does to the rest of the society. Outbreaks in aged care homes in some countries in the early months of the pandemic had a terrible impact. In others, the impact in prison populations has been particularly difficult.
Closer to home, here in the Philippines, we’ve seen the virus tear through communities living in informal urban settlements. In places like Singapore and Malaysia, we’ve seen foreign workers be particularly affected. And in other parts of the region and the world, when the virus gets to hard-to-reach groups such as ethnic minorities, the impacts can be devastating.
Underlying factors that can predispose particular groups to much greater impact from COVID-19 include poor, crowded living conditions which make infection control difficult, and limited access to healthcare. COVID-19 has emphasized how important it is to pay attention to vulnerable groups to ensure their health and safety. It has also reminded us that an outbreak in any of our communities can affect our whole society.
Second, as I mentioned, it is not just the virus itself that has had an impact on society, but also the world’s response to it.
For the first time in 20 years, global poverty levels are predicted to rise, as a result of the socioeconomic fallout of the pandemic. The World Bank estimates that as many as 124 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty as a result of COVID-19.
The pandemic resulted in almost 10 per cent of global working hours lost in 2020, the equivalent of 225 million full time jobs. Again, we have seen the impact of this here in the Philippines, where many people in informal or casual employment such as hospitality or domestic helpers lost their jobs during last year’s lockdowns.
COVID-19 has also particularly affected children and young people. Children around the Region have faced school closures – some for more than a year – resulting in a loss of learning and social connection, and increased stress, anxiety and mental health problems. According to UNESCO, across the Asia-Pacific, some 5.9 million children are at risk of never returning to school due to this disruption to education and economic impact of the pandemic.
COVID-19 has also made women at risk of domestic violence, or already experiencing it, much more vulnerable. Extended lockdowns have meant more time at home for all of us, but unfortunately the home is not a safe place for everyone. Many countries around the region have reported an increase in cases of violence against women and children since the beginning of the pandemic.
All of the issues I have just touched on have profound consequences for people’s physical and mental health. And the impacts will be felt not only today, but in the years, and decades, ahead. We know that an unequal present means an even more unequal future.
When I think about the impact of this pandemic, this is the thing that worries me the most – that is, the disproportionate effects of this virus on different groups, and the potential for these differences to create long-term division in our societies.
This is a very, very tricky virus. Lately, I have been thinking a lot about this in relation to my own family’s risk. For me personally, I am in a category that if I were to get COVID-19, I would probably have mild to moderate illness for a couple of weeks. My chances of dying are low – though not zero. If my daughters were to get COVID-19, their illness would likely be so mild they may not even know they had it. But if my 84 year old mother or 88 year old father were to be infected, they are likely to get very, very sick. And their chances of dying are much higher: one in four, or one in five.
I know my daughters are sick of being at home, of not going to school, of not being able to see their friends. But they understand – I think! – that this what they need to do for the time being, to keep people like their grandparents safe.
My point in sharing this is to emphasise the importance of all of us continuing to act in solidarity, mindful of the impact every action we take will have on others. This goes for individuals, in the decisions we take each day about how many people we interact with, and in what circumstances, and what risks these pose to others. And of course, it also goes for communities more broadly, as well as businesses and governments.
This is because no country is safe until every country is safe. No community is safe until every community is safe. And no individual is safe until every individual is safe. The only way out of this pandemic is for all of us – individuals, communities, countries – to keep working together to find solutions to the challenges we face, including inequity.
In discussing inequity, I cannot finish this speech without mentioning COVID-19 vaccines. The arrival of vaccines in countries across the Region gives us hope that there is light at the end of the long tunnel, but at the moment I am worried that not all countries have an equal share in the source of this light.
It is crucial that we ensure all countries get enough vaccines doses to be able to vaccinate priority groups within their populations – health care workers, older people – as quickly as possible.
I’d like to thank the governments and other partners who are providing very strong support to help other countries across the Region to do this, in particular supporting countries in the Pacific. Equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines is a test of our collective ability to act in solidarity.
Effective use of vaccines will help bring the acute phase of the pandemic to an end. But as I have explained, we have much, much more to do in order to build a more fair and healthier world for the future.
COVID-19 has taught us that a more fair world is a precondition for a healthier world. And this requires us to take action in three broad areas.
First, we need to create a political, economic and social environment that promotes health and healthy living. This requires addressing the underlying conditions that prevent people from improving their lives. This means improving living conditions, ensuring everyone has access to water and sanitation, and improving living conditions and access to health care for vulnerable populations like migrants.
Second, we need to help empower people and populations to make healthy decisions – decisions which benefit themselves and others. This includes the individual decisions and actions that people take every day which have an impact on their own health, and the health of those around them. COVID-19 is a good example of this, but so too are other things like smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol.
Third, we must invest in building health services and health systems which reach the most marginalised and vulnerable. We know too many people are already missing out on the health services they need. COVID-19 has made this situation worse. We simply cannot accept a future where this is the case.
Clearly, we need to do better at preparing for and responding to infectious disease outbreaks, but we also need to address the underlying inequalities which make some segments of the population so much more susceptible to serious illness and death. Failure to do this will mean allowing the preconditions to remain in place for the next pandemic virus to wreak the same havoc this one has. And I’m sure all of you would agree that that is not an acceptable option.
Therefore, we must continue to work together, united by our shared interest in building a healthier, fairer world. I truly believe that acting in solidarity is the only way that we will be able to emerge from this pandemic with stronger, more sustainable societies.
Thank you very much again for being here, and happy World Health Day.