Statement by Sweden at the 71st World Health Assembly

Madam/Mr President, Director-General, Ministers, Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Sweden fully aligns itself with the statement made by Bulgaria on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

Let me start by saying that Sweden believes that WHO truly needs to become a health organisation and not merely a disease, health service and health emergencies organisation.

With the new General Programme of Work, there is a strategic plan in place for the coming five years to steer the Organization towards work to ensure healthy lives and promoting well-being for all, at all ages – giving men, women, boys and girls in all social groups leaving no one behind, the opportunity to live not just long but healthy lives, in line with the 2030 Agenda and SDG3. This sets the direction for WHO:s transformative shift in close collaboration with relevant UN organization and other partners in the global health architecture.

It entails multisectorial approach to health - health promotion, disease prevention and addressing the broad determinants of health, enabling societies to become healthier and people to make more healthy choices.

Sweden wholeheartedly supports the priority of the Director-General’s – the theme of the year’s Assembly - to strengthen health systems and make progress towards Universal Health Coverage.

Sweden strongly believes in a human rights based approach to health. Health services, both preventive and curative, should be made available based on the principle of everyone’s equal right to same quality of health service. Access should not be linked to ability of pay but be a shared responsibility.

Health systems strengthening and UHC include effective policies and interventions that promote and meet the needs of girls, boys, women and men in terms of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) - safe and legal abortions, modern methods of contraceptives, as well as comprehensive sexuality education and counselling services.

Sweden has a long standing tradition and experience from Universal Health Coverage. Everyone’s equal access to health and health care services lifts the prosperity in society as a whole, in line with the logic of the 2030 Agenda. Everything is connected, and without health there will be no development.

To achieve this, we need a strong WHO that is fit for purpose across all levels of the organization. Sweden believes that particular focus must be placed on transforming WHO at country level. WHO has to be relevant to all Member States, both today and tomorrow. This requires continued commitment to the reform process, with an effective, efficient, transparent and accountable organisation as the objective.

Your excellencies, antimicrobial resistance will roll back a century of medical advancement and, consequently, hinders Universal Health Coverage globally. We urgently need resolute and concrete actions based on the national and global action plans on AMR and the political declaration from the high-level meeting in the UN General Assembly. Surveillance is critical to create effective policies and support concrete actions. Data provided by 22 countries in the first Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Systems report in 2018, confirms widespread resistance globally. I welcome you to the official side event on Thursday evening hosted by the Republic of Korea and Sweden which will explore the importance of AMR surveillance in relation to the achievement of Universal Health Coverage.

Thank you