Global solidarity needed to fight diseases, WHO chief tells annual meeting

As the Members States of the World Health Organization (WHO) opened their annual meeting today in Geneva, the head of the United Nations agency called for international solidarity in the global fight against disease and other threats.

"It has never been clearer than today that a secure, healthy future for us all depends on cooperation across borders and between institutions," WHO Director-General Gro Brundtland said in an opening address to the fifty-sixth World Health Assembly.

Dr. Brundtland said it was not enough to rely on national efforts alone to implement the scaled up system of global alert and response that the world now needs. The open sharing of information, expertise and resources is critical, she said, citing the global response to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

"In the last few weeks, the scientific cooperation between countries and institutions in the face of the threat posed by SARS has been exemplary and inspiring. WHO headquarters, regions and the affected countries have been conferring daily to respond to the urgent nature of the crisis, along with experts," she said.

Dr. Brundtland also stressed that it was essential for countries to work together when responding to such challenges as rebuilding health systems in countries affected by war, dealing with epidemics, addressing the drama of AIDS, and protecting women and children.

"We need a much stronger WHO presence in countries, better equipped to strengthen national capacities for health," she said, noting that the share of national spending for health was much too low in many countries and that there was no alternative but to increase funding.

Dr. Brundtland also made the case for taking a giant step to reverse tobacco smoking by the adoption of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which would be the agency's first global treaty.

"Wednesday, 21 May 2003 is set to be a historic day; and let us all be proud to be part of it. Billions of people in generations to come will be healthier and will lead longer, more productive lives because we have chosen to act together," Dr. Brundtland said.

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