Csaba K?r?si, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly
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Message on the 75th anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO)
7 April 2023
On this World Health Day, I congratulate WHO on its 75th anniversary.
Over the course of its history, WHO has contributed to landmark achievements in public health, including the eradication of smallpox, the near eradication of polio and the expansion of childhood immunization, saving millions of lives.
More recently, WHO has played a key role in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and helped galvanise the most complex vaccination campaign in history. Time and again, WHO has proved that investing in science lies at the heart of reaching our objective of a healthy and prosperous future.
However, the pandemic has disrupted essential health services in most of the countries, shortened life expectancy, and halted progress towards universal health coverage.
Halfway through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we must redouble our efforts to achieve its goals.
As we prepare for the upcoming high-level meetings on health in the General Assembly, let us seize this opportunity to reconfirm our collective pledges and chart new pathways for a healthy and sustainable future.
On this day and every day, let us commit to achieve Health for All.