Geneva, Switzerland
17 May 2010
Time to get back on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals
Dr Margaret Chan
Director-General of the World Health Organization
Mister President, honourable ministers, excellencies, distinguished delegates, Dr Mahler, ladies and gentlemen,
Public health must never cease to learn from its successes, and its failures.
-snip-Ladies and gentlemen,
Good news for public health usually arises from factors like political commitment, sufficient resources, strong interventions and implementation capacity, equitable delivery, and alignment with national priorities and capacities. Sometimes, though, we are just plain lucky.
This has been the case with the H1N1 influenza pandemic. The virus did not mutate to a more lethal form. Cases of resistance to oseltamivir remained few and isolated. The vaccine closely matched circulating viruses and showed an excellent safety record.
Emergency wards and intensive care units were often strained, but few health systems were overwhelmed and the effects were usually short-lived. Schools closed, but borders remained open, and disruptions to travel and trade were far less severe than feared.
Had things gone wrong in any of these areas, we would have a very different agenda before us today.
This has been the most closely watched and carefully scrutinized pandemic in history. It is normal that every decision and action, especially on the part of WHO, will likewise be closely scrutinized and critically assessed. We welcome this process.
The pandemic has also been the first major test of the functioning of the revised International Health Regulations, which entered into force in 2007.
During the January session of the Executive Board, I proposed that a previously scheduled review of the functioning of the Regulations could also be used to assess the international response to the influenza pandemic. The Board agreed to this proposal. A report of the Review Committee’s first meeting is before you.
When I opened that meeting, I stressed the need for a frank and critical assessment of performance, including WHO’s performance, in a process that is independent, credible, and transparent. We want to know what worked well. We want to know what went wrong and, ideally, why. We want to know what can be done better and, ideally, how.
We are seeking lessons, about how the International Health Regulations have functioned, about how WHO and the international community responded to the pandemic, that can aid the management of future public health emergencies of international concern. And I can assure you: there will be more.
-snip-
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