Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), stated on Tuesday that, following the conclusion of the three-year Covid “crisis, pain, and loss,” the world must adequately prepare for pandemics in the future.
The head of WHO stated in his year-end speech that while 2023 had been a turning point in the fight against major health concerns, it had also brought about “immense and avoidable suffering.”
Tedros encouraged countries to sign a “monumental” pandemic treaty in order to fix preparedness gaps that the epidemic revealed and called for increased aid operations for the Gaza Strip.
He declared an end to Covid-19 as an international public health emergency in May.
“This marked a turning point for the world following three years of crisis, pain and loss for people everywhere,” he recalled in a video message. “I’m glad to see that life has returned to normal.”
After 10 months, the WHO also lifted a similar emergency on mpox in May 2023, while the UN health agency approved new vaccines for malaria, dengue and meningitis, Tedros said.
Meanwhile Azerbaijan, Belize and Tajikistan were declared malaria-free.
Tedros also noted that the health impacts of climate change featured prominently at COP28, the latest annual UN climate conference held a few weeks ago.
However, “2023 has also been a year of immense and avoidable suffering and threats to health,” he added.
Tedros said how Hamas attacked Israel in a “barbaric” manner, “followed by the unleashing of a devastating attack on Gaza.”
According to an AFP count based on Israeli numbers, Hamas’s October 7 strike on southern Israel set off the worst Gaza war ever, killing roughly 1,140 people, the majority of whom were civilians.
Of the 250 hostages they grabbed, 129 are still in Gaza.
Israel began a massive ground invasion and aircraft bombardment. The health ministry of Hamas-run Gaza reports that 20,915 persons have died as a result of the campaign, the majority of whom were women and children.
Tedros emphasized that the WHO’s demand for an immediate ceasefire was being met by saying that “relief efforts are not coming close to meeting the needs of people in Gaza.”
A resurgence of cholera, with a record number of 40-plus outbreaks around the world, is also “especially concerning,” he added.
As he closed out the WHO’s 75th year, Tedros said that in terms of emergency preparedness and response, gaps remain in the world’s readiness to prevent the next pandemic.
“But 2024 offers a unique opportunity to address these gaps,” he said, with countries negotiating the first-ever global agreement on pandemic threats.
“The pandemic accord is being designed to bridge the gaps in global collaboration, cooperation and equity,” said Tedros.