DSG/SM/13

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION PROVES VALUE OF COOPERATION AMONG STATES, SAYS DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL AT ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION

14 September 1998


Press Release
DSG/SM/13


WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION PROVES VALUE OF COOPERATION AMONG STATES, SAYS DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL AT ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION

19980914 Following is the statement of Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette delivered at the opening of an exhibition celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO) at Headquarters on 14 September:

We have gathered this evening to celebrate 50 years of advancement from the edge of darkness to the edge of awareness. Half a century ago, the Constitution of the World Health Organization came into force. Its central message -- that "the health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security and is dependent upon the fullest cooperation of individuals and States" -- holds as true today as it did then.

The work of the World Health Organization is living proof of how much such cooperation can achieve when it is working as it should. Over these 50 years, human longevity has increased by more than 40 per cent. Smallpox has been eradicated. Large parts of the world have been declared free of malaria. Immunization programmes have saved millions of children from preventable disease. A new strategy has been developed and implemented to combat the global emergency of tuberculosis.

There are many, many more achievements this remarkable organization can claim over the half century of its existence. From food safety to nutrition, from mother and child health to air and water quality -- it has done as much to ensure the overall and everyday well being of men, women and children around the world as any hi-tech invention we can think of.

As the world reaps the negative, as well as the positive effects of globalization, the challenges facing the WHO are growing and changing. The organization has already demonstrated admirably its ability to meet them. Among its most important work in the past decade is the unprecedented international effort to halt the spread of AIDS.

In that context, we pay tribute today to Jonathan Mann and Mary-Lou Clements-Mann, who did so much to lead those efforts before losing their lives in a tragic plane crash two weeks ago. They join a long list of courageous men and women who have given their lives to working for the health of humankind. I know you will join me in paying homage to them all.

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This evening we open an exhibition which I hope will help people everywhere understand better the importance of the WHO's work. The power of art is that it can communicate to so many the enormity of the challenges facing humankind. It is my hope that the works of art you see displayed here will also convey the enormousness of what the WHO has given humankind in meeting those challenges so far.

And so, with this exhibition, we pay tribute to the founders of the WHO and to all those who have worked for the past half century to achieve a healthier world. We add the hope that this organization will continue to enjoy the support, cooperation and commitment it needs from governments and individuals everywhere to carry on its indispensable work across the world. It is too important to be taken for granted.

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For information media. Not an official record.