Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General
As people around the world celebrated New Year’s Eve 12 months ago, a new global threat has emerged.
Since that moment, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed many lives and caused major disruption to families, societies and economies around the world.
But it also triggered the fastest and most comprehensive response to a global health emergency in human history.
The marks of this response have been an unparalleled mobilization of science, a search for solutions and a commitment to global solidarity.
Acts of generosity, large and small, equip hospitals with the tools healthcare professionals need to stay safe and care for their patients.
Demonstrations of kindness have helped the most vulnerable in society in difficult times.
Vaccines, therapies and diagnostics were developed and launched, at record speed, thanks to collaborations including the Access Tool Accelerator to COVID-19.
Equity is at the heart of the ACT Accelerator and its vaccine arm, COVAX, which has secured access to 2 billion doses of promising candidate vaccines.
Vaccines offer great hope of turning the tide of the pandemic.
But to protect the world, we must ensure that everyone at risk everywhere – not just in countries that can afford vaccines – is immunized.
To do this, COVAX urgently needs just over $ 4 billion to purchase vaccines for low- and lower-middle-income countries.
This is the challenge we must face in the new year.
My brothers and sisters, the 2020 events provided revealing lessons and reminders for all of us to bring to 2021.
First, 2020 has shown that governments must increase investment in public health, from financing access to COVID vaccines for everyone, to making our systems better prepared to prevent and respond to the next and inevitable pandemic.
At the heart of this is investment in universal health coverage to make health for all a reality.
Second, since vaccination of everyone against COVID will take time, we must continue to adhere to the tried and tested measures that keep each and every one of us safe.
This means keeping physical distance, wearing face masks, practicing hand and respiratory hygiene, avoiding crowded enclosures and meeting people outdoors.
These simple but effective measures will save lives and reduce the suffering that so many people encountered in 2020.
Third, and above all, we must commit to working together in solidarity, as a global community, to promote and protect health today and in the future.
We have seen how divisions in politics and communities feed the virus and fuel the crisis.
But collaboration and partnership save lives and protect societies.
In 2020, a health crisis of historic proportions showed us how closely connected we are all.
We saw how acts of kindness and care helped the neighbors in times of great struggle.
But we also witness how acts of malice and misinformation have caused preventable damage.
Entering 2021, we have a simple but profound choice to make:
Do we ignore the lessons of 2020 and allow island and party approaches, conspiracy theories and attacks on science to prevail, resulting in unnecessary suffering for the health of people and society in general?
Or we cover the last miles of this crisis together, helping each other along the way, from sharing vaccines fairly, to offering accurate advice, compassion and care to everyone in need, as a global family.
The choice is easy.
There is light at the end of the tunnel and we will get there walking the path together.
WHO IS WITH YOU – We are a family and we are together in this.
I wish you and your loved ones a peaceful, safe and healthy new year.