Chair,

Director General,

Excellencies,

Colleagues,

We thank the Director-General for his insightful report and reaffirm the European Union’s strong commitment to multilateralism and to the World Health Organization as the cornerstone of global health governance architecture, working in partnership with global health actors. In an era of overlapping crises, collective action and solidarity remain our most powerful tools.

This Assembly convenes at a time of significant global challenges for global health and beyond. The international community is navigating an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape. No country, big or small, can meet today’s challenges alone. Collective solutions are the only sustainable path to tackle the challenges we face – from peace and security to sustainable development and upholding human rights. The WHO plays a unique role in this regard. The Organization operates in a new financial reality. It is more important than ever to 1. ensure that WHO is fit-for-purpose and capable of delivering for all and 2. safeguard the independence and sustainability of the Organization.

The EU is the biggest donor to WHO and strongly supports the full implementation of reforms, restructuring and prioritization that ensures an effective WHO adapted to the new resource landscape. We call for predictable funding for the WHO where flexibility is accompanied by enhanced accountability, with relevant engagement from the organization to secure transparency of budget expenditures. We welcome new instruments, but we also note the importance – also in the light of current situation – that the organization learn from these initiatives, including from the first WHO Investment Round, and evaluate them accordingly. Such efforts must go hand in hand with transparency, accountability, and reform implementation.

This is also the time to strengthen the coordination and efficiency of the global health architecture. We call on the key global health organizations, including the WHO, to turn every stone to collaborate and find synergies to strengthen joint approaches for achieving equity in health outcomes. We reiterate our call on WHO to lead the reform of the global health architecture with other UN bodies. It is critical that WHO’s prioritization and reform exercise are conducted in consultation with other actors of the global health ecosystem. We welcome WHO’s continued contribution to broader UN reform including through the UN80 initiative.

We welcome the successful conclusion of the pandemic agreement negotiations – an achievement that reflects our resolve to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response and reiterate the relevance of the multilateral system. It reflects our resolve to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response capacities. The work ahead to finalize its development and, crucially, to ensure its implementation, will be the true mark of its success.

While we note progress in containing emerging or re-emerging health threats, such as mpox, we remain gravely concerned by ongoing and overlapping health emergencies, including the devastating health consequences of armed conflicts and climate-related disasters. These crises highlight the urgent need to reinforce health systems, prioritizing primary healthcare with skilled health workforce, to ensure equitable access to essential services, and to protect the most vulnerable. Mental health, especially for children and youth, requires urgent attention, particularly given the impact of conflicts.

We are concerned by the financing gaps for global health security, which will directly and gravely affect the health of millions of people. Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response must remain a core priority for WHO and be adequately financed. We should follow the developments in the financing landscape and remain very vigilant.

Prevention must be our guiding principle. Hence, addressing determinants of health is crucial to promoting health and preventing disease. Antimicrobial resistance and climate hazards are severe global threats that require a coordinated response through the One Health approach. The WHO has a key role to play to support the transition to health sovereignty.

As Plato stated in one of his dialogues, “there is nothing sweeter than being healthy; but its sweetness evades our notice until we are ill.” We must act proactively before crises arise. This requires high standards for disease surveillance systems and access to reliable data. The implementation of the Pandemic Agreement might also help us in this area.

Non-communicable diseases must remain high on the agenda. The EU looks ahead to the upcoming High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health at the UN General Assembly. The political declaration that will be adopted must be ambitious with concrete action-oriented commitments, and reflect our priorities in implementing equitable public health policies that combine prevention, care, and innovation. Addressing the silent epidemics is central to achieving universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.

In closing, the European Union and its Member States reaffirm our commitment to a robust multilateral global health system – it is not just a matter of principle, it is a matter of global necessity. We will continue to work in close partnership with the WHO, all Member States and partners to promote human rights, solidarity, equity, gender equality, resilience, and health for all.

Thank you.