In a year when COVID-19 threatens the health and well-being of everyone on the planet, the seventy-fourth session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) will stress the urgency of ending the current pandemic and preventing the next one by building a healthier, safer and fairer world.
The Health Assembly is WHO’s highest decision-making body and is attended by delegations from all around the world.
16094
今年的会议将于2021年5月24日至6月1日以虚拟方式举行。
It will also be open to Associate Members, Observers, invited representatives of the UN and other participating inter-governmental organizations, and non-State actors.
Over the past year, cases of COVID-19 rose 40-fold to 162 million globally, while the number of deaths has increased 11 times, to more than 3.3 million.
The pandemic has hit all countries hard, but its impact has been harshest on those communities which were already vulnerable, who are more exposed to the disease, less likely to have access to quality health care services and more likely to experience adverse consequences (such as loss of income) as a result of measures implemented to contain the pandemic.
16097
世卫组织总干事谭德塞博士说：“危机往往能激发人们和组织的最佳表现。
“A crisis often brings out the best in people and organisations,” said WHODirector-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“From the WHO Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to our technical guidance, the Solidarity Trial, the UN Supply Chain Task Force, the OpenWHO.org learning platform and initiatives like the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, including its COVAX partnership, and the Solidarity Response Fund, WHO has given countries effective and evidence-informed tools to prevent infections, save lives and maintain essential health services.
I am especially proud of the incredible work that WHO staff have done all over the world in the past 17 months to support countries to put these tools to work.”
16100
但是大流行疫情远未结束，全球应对工作正处于关键阶段。
But the pandemic is far from over and the global response is at a critical phase.