Discours - Cérémonie de signature d’un protocole d’accord entre le Comité européen des régions et l’OMS/Europe

Vice-President Lambertz,

Representatives of the Regions,

Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am delighted to be here today at the Committee of the Regions, signing an agreement to formalize and deepen the partnership between our 2 organizations.

This agreement is a significant milestone in our ongoing collaboration. For years, WHO/Europe and the Committee of the Regions have directed their focus and expertise on fostering local involvement in health topics, notably through the Healthy Cities Project and the Regions for Health Network. We have come a long way. Now is the right moment to strengthen our cooperation and enhance our health policy dialogue.

We live in demanding times. The WHO European Region faces complex challenges that have profound implications on health; every part of the Region must address rising inequalities, an ageing population, the prospect of irreversible climate change and increased migration flows. These public health challenges are complex and interlinked and can only be tackled by working together at all levels: individual, local, regional, national, European and global. They require multisectoral approaches that reach out across the health system to other sectors – social, education, housing and transport. These challenges call for new ways of working and for policy coherence built through engaging civil society, the private sector, households and individuals.

The Region is fortunate to have already made strides in this direction. By placing the focus on equity, stressing whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, highlighting the critical relevance of social, economic and environmental determinants of health, and linking investment for health with sustainable development, Health 2020, the European policy for health and well-being, has set us on the right track.

In September last year, the United Nations adopted the broad-reaching 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 2030 Agenda aims to bring peace, prosperity and protection to the planet and its people by fostering partnerships and working towards a socially, financially and environmentally sustainable society. It recognizes health as an end goal, as a measure of progress and a contributor to other goals.

Health 2020 and the 2030 Agenda are interlinked and complementary, sharing a common vision of equitable, sustainable health and well-being in Europe. They set ambitious targets requiring forward-looking partners at the subnational level. You represent the people of the regions and you understand best people’s needs and interests. Your partnerships with sectors and stakeholders make regions a unique place to foster progress. With this Memorandum of Understanding we are building joint action from the global level to local levels, taking the necessary steps to implement the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs.

In this context, the Memorandum of Understanding we have signed today, along with its accompanying action plan, brings our work in line with the goals and targets set out in Health 2020, the 2030 Agenda and the Commission for Natural Resources’ annual work programmes of the Committee of the Regions.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to highlight a few priority areas of our partnership.

Our first priority is to invest in health through a life-course approach and by empowering people. Europe’s changing demographics require an effective life-course strategy, one that gives priority to new approaches that empower people and build resilience and capacity to promote health and prevent disease. Children with a good start in life learn better and have more productive lives. Adults with control over their lives have greater capacity for economic and social participation and for living healthier lives. Healthy older people can continue to contribute actively to society.

To this end, WHO/Europe is delighted to participate in the European Week of Regions and Cities, held each year in October, and we invite the Committee of the Regions to collaborate with us for World Health Day 2017, which places its focus on depression and mental health.

Our second priority is to tackle the challenges of both noncommunicable and communicable diseases. Taken together, the 5 major noncommunicable diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and mental disorders) account for an estimated 86% of deaths and 77% of the disease burden in the WHO European Region. Sharing and disseminating evidence-based best practices for prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases is crucial, and we can work together on this.

With regard to communicable diseases, immunization remains a priority topic. The European Vaccine Action Plan, an ambitious roadmap to ensure equitable and optimal protection of Europe’s population from vaccine-preventable diseases, guides WHO/Europe’s work in the area of vaccines and immunization. Within the WHO European Region, 34 countries interrupted the transmission of endemic measles and/or rubella by 2015. Gaps in surveillance and immunization coverage, however, jeopardize the elimination of measles and rubella in the remaining endemic countries. We look forward to collaboration during European Immunization Week in April 2017, which will promote the importance of immunization to new audiences at the local level.

Our third priority is to strengthen people-centred health systems, public health capacity, and emergency preparedness, surveillance and response. Achieving high-quality care and improved health outcomes requires health systems that are financially viable, fit for purpose, people-centred and evidence-informed.

Our last priority is to create resilient communities and supportive environments. Urban policies are key to protecting and promoting health in relation to environment-related risk factors and the inequalities associated with them. Local authorities play a leading role in this area, and often bear the primary responsibility for shaping policies that lead to cleaner air, resilience to climate change, sound management of municipal waste, decent and energy-efficient housing, healthy and environmentally friendly transport, water and sanitation for all, the provision of quality green and public spaces, and access to healthy foods. Cities are also playing a major role in the transition towards low-carbon and circular economies.

The forthcoming Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, which Czechia will host in Ostrava on 13–15 June 2017, offers a major opportunity to emphasize the theme of collaboration and policy coherence across international, national and subnational levels of government to address the health challenges posed by inadequate water and sanitation, poor air quality, chemical exposure, waste and climate change.

The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding marks the consolidation of a true partnership. The timing is right. We must seize the opportunity to harness the momentum of Health 2020 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Regions are uniquely positioned and mandated to work across sectors, responding to people’s needs. This leadership on health, from local to global levels, will ensure that we follow a common approach.

In closing, I would like to express again my sincere thanks to Vice-President Lambertz and friends at the Committee of the Regions in making this agreement a reality. With good will, clear ambitions and a strong commitment to work together, I look forward to taking the next steps towards our common goal of better, more equitable health and well-being for all in the Region.

Thank you for your attention.