Speech – Opening of 23rd annual meeting of the WHO Regions for Health Network

Minister Olekas, Mayor of Kaunas, excellencies, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

Let me begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to the hosting region, Kaunas, and the hosting country, Lithuania. I am very pleased to be here today; this is the first Regions for Health Network’s annual meeting that I have attended, and I came to Lithuania specifically for this important occasion.

Seemingly every year, the WHO Regional Office for Europe renews its special bond and working relationship with Lithuania. As you may know, the most crucial event for the whole of the Regional Office is the annual session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, which takes place every September. In 2014, during the 64th session of the Regional Committee, Lithuania received the WHO World No Tobacco Day award, a fundamental acknowledgement of the country’s hard work to curb tobacco use and smoking.

In 2015, we held our 65th session of the Regional Committee in Vilnius. I will forever be thankful to the Government of Lithuania for its outstanding support and warm welcome during this time. This country has always been a model for health policy development, and one of the two ministerial lunches during the session was devoted to Lithuania’s experience and achievements in implementing Health 2020.

Just before our most recent session of the Regional Committee, held in Copenhagen last week, Lithuania hosted another landmark event on the integration of public health in health systems. Lithuania also led WHO’s work on noncommunicable diseases, effectively laying the foundation for many of our ongoing efforts. Our programme manager on cardiovascular diseases and monitoring the health status of the European population also comes from this country.

These are just a few examples of our great and growing collaboration with Lithuania. Thank you, Minister Olekas, for making this country so special for us.

Now, in 2016, I am here in Kaunas. I would like to welcome all regions present here today. Your attendance is much appreciated.
An important feature and strength of the European Region is its diversity. Diversity is the great treasure you all bring to Kaunas. Yet, in spite of this diversity, the Region has made good collective progress. Health indicators are improving, inequities in health are slowly diminishing and premature mortality is also going down thanks in large part to decreases in cardiovascular diseases and injuries.

However, many challenges remain. We must work together across national boundaries at all levels to address these challenges.
The regions have a very special and unique role to play in moving forward, as you will all demonstrate in the next two days. The cohesion of the regions, their closeness to people’s needs and interests, and their partnerships with sectors and stakeholders make regions a unique place for progress.

Our aim must be to engage more and more regions and national governments in this work and to lead the way towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and implementing Health 2020. This is why I am signing a memorandum of understanding with the Committee of the Regions in the coming weeks. Your views on how we can involve more regions at the political level are important for us – please address this issue in your statements.  

The voice of the local and regional level is very often closest to that of the people. As such, your voice is absolutely critical. At the Regional Office we are aware that implementation of ambitious policies requires visionary partners at the subnational level. We are aware that the relevance of our public health policy is the litmus test of our credibility. In this we stand together with you: you are a crucial engine for our mission, for our future.

Thus, I thank you for accepting our invitation. I thank you for your time, for your participation and, first and foremost, for your great work. And while I am happy to see many familiar faces, please allow me to extend a special thank you and a special welcome to all first-time participants

In the programme of this year’s RHN meeting, you will see that we have tried our best to honour your diversity with a full range of key topics: Sustainable Development Goals, women’s health, intersectoral actions, environment and health, and participatory approaches. I am confident that we will all find these two days together truly enriching.    

I know that the hardworking team who has organized this event has included an evening of music. Lithuania and Kaunas both have a rich tradition of music, and I see this as a powerful metaphor: in both the work that we do and the creation of music we need vision, discipline, talent, creativity, constant practice and passion. I see this in the way we strive to constantly improve. I decided to be here with you today to celebrate this very spirit.

The Regional Office brings you together as a network to allow all of your diverse voices to be heard. Thank you, Kaunas, for hosting us and making this event possible. We will always remember your contribution.

Ernest Hemingway once said, “Courage is grace under pressure”. Regions are often the living proof of this; with their courage, regions set an example. To all regions, to the RHN, thank you for your courage and for your grace.