P
rince
of
A
sturias
A
wards
1981-2014. S
peeches
5
Margaret Chan, on behalf
of the World Health
Organization
—
Prince of Asturias
Award for International
Cooperation
2009
Margaret Chan has been Director-
General of
who
since 2007.
—
Excerpt from the speech given on
the occasion of receiving the Prince
of Asturias Award for International
Cooperation on 23/10/2009.
Health is the very essence of our common humanity. It is part of our human nature to value and
desire good health. And it is in the best interests of all nations to build a common understanding
of threats to health and to promote good will in seeking and sharing solutions.
When who was founded 61 years ago, a central aim was to provide a mechanism through
which all countries could work together in the pursuit of better health. A commitment to the
principles of equity and social justice was present from the start.
This is the heart of the moral and ethical imperative to work together for health, to make life
better for the people worst off. No one should be denied access to life-saving medical care for
unfair reasons, including those with economic or social causes.
The need for international cooperation in health has become even more important under the
unique conditions of the 21st century. At a time of radically increased interdependence among
nations, health problems everywhere are being shaped by the same powerful forces, creating
universal threats.
The globalization of unhealthy lifestyles has fuelled an alarming worldwide rise of chronic
diseases, like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes; diseases now found in rich and poor countries
alike. Changes in the way humanity inhabits the planet have spurred the emergence of new diseases
and accelerated their international spread.
The climate is changing, with profoundly negative consequences for health. Killer diseases, like
HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, are not yet under control.
Advances in medicine have raced ahead, but far too many people have been left behind. Allow
me to use, as an illustration, the growing H1N1 pandemic. The first influenza pandemic of the 21st
century is spreading in a world where differences in income levels, in health status, in access to
care, and in resources for health are greater than at any time in recent history.
When this same virus reaches all countries, the great differences that exist in each country
in the field of healthcare will become evident. The current pandemic is the first important test
of the revised and reformulated IHRS (international health regulations), which have served the
international community, providing an orderly and regulated way of acting collectively and we are
gathering their fruits.
