Your Excellency Mauro Poggia,
Your Excellency Professor Sanja Musić Milanović,
Your Excellency Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari,
Your Excellency Dr Alfredo Borrero Vega,
My friend Tadesse Abraham,
And to all the Ministers of Health, Ambassadors, colleagues, our friends from the NHS who have cycled from London to be here today, and to the people of Geneva.
Good morning. Bonjour!
Thank you for taking part in today’s Walk the Talk: Health for All Challenge.
My thanks to the Canton and City of Geneva for hosting us today.
This is the first Walk the Talk held in Geneva since COVID-19 entered our lives.
We are very fortunate that here in Switzerland, we have access to vaccines and to high-quality health care.
But as you know, not everyone around the world is so fortunate.
In almost 70 countries, cases of COVID-19 are increasing, and 1 billion people remain unvaccinated.
The pandemic is not over anywhere until it’s over everywhere.
But the pandemic has also taught the world a valuable lesson: that health is the most precious commodity on earth.
Just 300 metres from here is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi. You will pass it as you run, cycle, walk or roll up the hill.
Gandhi said, “It is health that is real wealth, and not pieces of gold and silver.”
Today I am deeply honoured to recognize two health champions.
First, I have the great pleasure to present the 2022 Health Champion award to the First Lady of Croatia, Her Excellency Professor Sanja Musić Milanović, for her advocacy and action on health promotion.
Professor Milanović, welcome and thank you for your tireless efforts to promote and protect health. The floor is yours.
[PROF MILANOVIC SPEAKS]
Thank you, Your Excellency.
Now, I have the great honour to recognize the Minister of Public Health of Qatar, Her Excellency Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, for her leadership on health promotion in Qatar and abroad, including through our collaboration on the Healthy FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 partnership.
Dr Al Kuwari, the floor is yours.
[DR AL KUWARI SPEAKS]
Thank you, Your Excellency, and I look forward to seeing you in Qatar later this year for Walk the Talk Doha, and the World Cup.
Thank you all for coming today. Let’s make sure that today, and every day, we walk the talk for health.