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GENEVA \u2013 The resumed 73rd<\/sup> World Health Assembly (WHA73) opened to the tune of the classic hit song \u201cWe are Family\u201d by Sister Sledge<\/a>, the Kingdom of Tonga\u2019 Nurses\u2019 Choir and a powerful speech by the WHO Director-General<\/a> calling for predictable and sustainable WHO funding, the launch of a Universal Health and Preparedness Review and the need to \u201creimagine\u201d global leadership and \u201cforge a new era of cooperation\u201d reflecting the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic. \u00a0<\/p>\n Dr Tedros called on Member States to \u201caddress the shocking and expanding imbalance between assessed contributions and voluntary, largely earmarked funds,\u201d observing that WHO\u2019s annual budget is equivalent to what the world spends on tobacco products in a single day.<\/p>\n He warned that \u201ca vaccine cannot address the global under-investment in essential public health functions and resilient health systems, nor the urgent need for a \u201cOne Health\u201d approach that encompasses the health of humans, animals and the planet we share. There is no vaccine for poverty, hunger, climate change or inequality.\u201d<\/p>\n He called for \u201cleadership built on mutual trust and mutual accountability \u2013 to end the pandemic and address the fundamental inequalities that lie at the root of so many of the world\u2019s problems.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s time for the world to heal \u2013 from the ravages of this pandemic, and the geopolitical divisions that only drive us further into the chasm of an unhealthier, un-safer and unfairer future\u201d he said. \u201cToday and every day, we must choose health. We\u2019re one big family.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr Michael Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE), gave an epidemiological update on the COVID-19 pandemic, noting \u201cthe grim milestone\u201d of 50 million cases globally.<\/p>\n The Chair of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme (IOAC)<\/a>, Dr Felicity Harvey, presented the IOAC report, which makes several recommendations and concludes that: \u201cOver the last four years, the WHE Programme has demonstrated its capacity to manage multiple emergencies and has helped affirm WHO\u2019s position as a global health leader, but the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the challenges faced by WHO in handling a global pandemic into stark relief and has placed the WHE Programme under global public scrutiny.\u201d<\/p>\n The Chair of the Review Committee on the functioning of the International Health Regulations (2005) during COVID-19 response<\/a>, Professor Lothar H. Wieler, President of the Robert Koch Institute, Germany provided an update on the work of the Committee and its preliminary findings.<\/p>\n Senior Advisor to the Director-General, Dr Bruce Aylward, briefed Member States on the progress of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator<\/a>, noting key achievements with regard to rapid tests, life-saving treatments, and the COVAX Facility with its equitable allocation framework. <\/p>\n He remarked that access to these critical tools differs widely across countries and could worsen without urgent action to close the ACT-Accelerator\u2019s US$4.5 billion financing gap.<\/p>\n The WHO Director-General\u2019s Health Leaders Award for outstanding leadership in global health<\/a> was awarded to Her Royal Highness Princess Muna Al-Hussein of Jordan, the Honourable Minister for Health of the Kingdom of Tonga, Dr Amelia Afuhaamango Tuipulotu, and the Kingdom of Tonga\u2019s Nurses\u2019 Choir.<\/p>\n The WHA73 considered a proposal for a supplementary agenda item entitled \u201cInviting Taiwan to participate in the World Health Assembly as an observer<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n The proposal was considered in accordance with an agreed process for a structured debate, known as a \u201ctwo plus two\u201d arrangement. Following this process, the WHA73 decided not to include this item on its agenda.<\/p>\n This is the 15th<\/sup> time since 1997 that such a proposal has been submitted.<\/p>\n In line with an analogous decision of the UN General Assembly, the World Health Assembly though resolution WHA 25.1, of 1972,\u00a0 decided \u201c(\u2026) to recognize the representatives of its Government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the World Health Organization (\u2026)\u201d. This decision still applies, 48 years later.<\/p>\n Although the question of Taiwanese membership in WHO and its participation in the World Health Assembly remains a question for Member States, WHO works with all health authorities who are facing the current coronavirus pandemic,\u00a0including Taiwanese health experts<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n