INNOVATIVE PROJECTS, PRODUCTS ‘BIG OR SMALL’ CAN HELP ACHIEVE HEALTH-RELATED

 

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL AT ECOSOC EXHIBIT

 

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the opening of the 2009 Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Innovation Fair, in Geneva on 6 July:

It is a pleasure to be here.  Thank you for coming.

My special thanks go to all the exhibitors in this year’s fair.  Your commitment is a welcome contribution to our efforts to promote global public health.

During the coming days, Member States and civil society representatives will have an opportunity to discover, first hand, some of the innovative projects and products that can help us achieve the health-related Millennium Development Goals.  Big or small, these examples can make a difference.

I also applaud the United Nations Postal Administration for its initiative to launch the first series of ECOSOC postal stamps.  This is the first time a series of stamps has been created in honour of an intergovernmental body.  They will soon travel the world, promoting our messages about the central importance of global public health.

As I said in my message on the postal card, “Health is not only a foundation of prosperity and stability; it is also a moral imperative.”

Human decency and global solidarity demand that we pull together for the poorest and most vulnerable among us.  They demand that we ensure a truly powerful global partnership for health.  I am very encouraged by what I see here today, and wish you all the best for success.

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For information media • not an official record