Dulkys reminds World Health Assembly of war crimes in Ukraine and urges inclusion of Taiwan in WHO activities
Minister of Health Arūnas Dulkys attends the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, from 27 May to 1 June. At the conference, he pointed out that war crimes committed in Ukraine are depriving Ukrainians of access to adequate health services and condemned Russia's aggression. In his speech, the Minister called on the World Health Organisation to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer, thus enriching good practices in pandemic management.
"Health services for all are a cornerstone of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) vision of providing the highest possible level of health services to all people. But it is with deep sadness and horror that we continue to witness Russia's ongoing brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, bringing daily bloodshed and suffering. The continuing attacks on the Ukrainian health sector are horrifying and the loss of life is appalling and unforgivable. In this widespread human tragedy, we stand in full solidarity with Ukraine and its people and strongly condemn Russia's military aggression," said the Minister.
He also presented Lithuania's position on the Pandemic Stewardship Agreement and the amendment to the International Health Regulations (IHR) on infectious disease management. "We would like to commend the commitment of the WHO and the Member States in the preparation and negotiation of the amendments to the Agreement and the IHR. Both these documents are very important as the pandemic has highlighted major challenges in global preparedness and response and underlined the need for coordinated action. However, as the process has shown, the initial ambitious timeline for the development of the Pandemic Agreement is insufficient, and we are determined to continue our joint efforts to produce a meaningful agreement that will earn the public trust. It is essential to maintain the credibility and transparency of the agreement, allowing sufficient time for the necessary global and domestic procedures, as well as public consultation," said Mr Dulkys.
In his speech, the Minister invited the WHO to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer in the World Health Assembly and to facilitate its meaningful participation in WHO activities.
"Given the global impact of war, conflict and crises, it is important to learn from those countries that have an excellent track record in responding to pandemics. Taiwan's contribution, including its expertise in health security, disease prevention and crisis management, is invaluable. The unjustified rejection of Taiwan's contribution calls into question our commitment to 'Health for All, All for Health'. Let's bring the interests of 24 million people into the World Health Organisation to achieve our shared global health goals," the Minister urged.
The Assembly addresses important public and personal health issues such as preparedness and response to health emergencies, infection prevention and control, universal health coverage, chronic non-communicable diseases, reproductive health, maternal and child mortality, tuberculosis strategy, antimicrobial resistance, climate change and health.
The Assembly discusses the implementation of the reform of the World Health Organisation, the consideration of global health sector strategies on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, the global strategy and action plan on public health, innovation and intellectual property, and other important public and personal health and strategic issues in the governance of the Organisation.