Good morning, good afternoon and good evening.
First, to the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
More than 10 000 cases and 5000 deaths have now been reported in the DRC.
In some areas transmission is slowing, but new hotspots continue to emerge.
Displacement, rainy weather, attacks on health care and difficulties in reaching remote areas are complicating the response.
The DRC is also seeing its worst cholera outbreak in decades, with more than 60 000 cases and 1800 deaths reported so far this year.
In Kenya, nine cases of Ebola have been reported, including two deaths, and one case has also been confirmed in Nigeria.
I commend Kenya and Nigeria for their rapid response to these imported cases, and for their transparency in reporting them.
It shows that when countries prepare well, they can manage cases and limit spread.
We call on countries that have imposed travel restrictions to lift them.
Such restrictions punish countries for doing the right thing, create disincentives for transparency, and harm the response.
WHO is supporting all countries neighbouring DRC to prepare for the possible importation of cases;
Just as we continue support DRC to scale up every part of the response, including research.
Last month, a vaccine trial began using the Ervebo vaccine, which is approved for Ebola virus, but not for Bundibugyo virus.
Today, WHO expert groups are recommending adding two vaccine candidates to the trial that have been developed specifically for Bundibugyo virus.
The candidates are ChAdOx1 BDBV, developed by the University of Oxford with the Serum Institute of India, and Moderna's mRNA-1469.
The trial is being led by the DRC's National Institute for Biomedical Research, with support from national and international partners, including WHO.
Vaccines are powerful tools, but they are not substitutes for the proven measures that can save lives now: early care, contact tracing, isolation, safe and dignified burials and trusted engagement with communities.
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Now to Sudan, where more than three years of war have created one of the world's largest humanitarian and health crises – and yet it remains forgotten and ignored by the international community.
Access to health care remains severely constrained by insecurity, shortages of medicines and health workers, restrictions on humanitarian access, and attacks on health care.
Since the conflict began, WHO has verified more than two-hundred-and-thirty such attacks, causing more than two-thousand deaths and hundreds of injuries.
A recent escalation in drone attacks is having a devastating toll on civilians and critical civilian infrastructure.
Repeated attacks on power stations and fuel depots are disrupting electricity and fuel supplies, further threatening an already fragile health system.
Drone attacks on civilians have also been reported in the Amhara and Tigray regions of Ethiopia, killing children and people who were trying to get food.
In both countries, all parties must respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and safeguard health facilities, health workers and patients.
The most courageous choose peace.
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Next week I will join world leaders in Türkiye for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP31.
Once again, WHO will be making the case that the climate crisis is a health crisis, and that health is the most compelling reason for climate action.
The health impacts of climate change are not a theoretical risk for the future. They are right here and right now.
The climate crisis is fuelling outbreaks, driving higher rates of heart and lung disease, cancer and asthma, and making healthy diets less affordable.
Climate denialism doesn’t help, it only hurts.
Ahead of COP31, WHO is today releasing new estimates on the costs and benefits of proven actions that protect health and reduce emissions.
These include heat-health warning systems; climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene services; cleaner household energy sources; and efficient fossil fuel pricing policies.
WHO estimates that scaling up these measures globally could prevent 1.6 million deaths each year, while generating an estimated 3.9 trillion US dollars in economic welfare benefits and a further 5.4 trillion dollars in fiscal benefits.
Ultimately, climate action is not a cost, it’s an investment in healthier people, a healthier planet, and healthier economies.
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Also today, WHO is releasing new global estimates on physical activity among adolescents.
Physical activity is known to prevent heart disease, some cancers, and diabetes, and promote healthy weight and mental wellbeing.
WHO recommends that children and adolescents aged 11 to 17 should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day on average.
Our new estimates suggest that only 14% of adolescents globally are reaching that level.
And one in four adolescents globally report not getting 60 minutes of physical activity on any day in a week, let alone every day.
These levels of physical inactivity among adolescents are virtually unchanged in 15 years, and girls continue to face greater barriers than boys in almost every country and region.
The answer is not simply to tell young people to try harder.
Governments must make physical activity the easy choice, by investing in safe schools, public spaces, walking and cycling routes, transport policy and affordable opportunities for sport and recreation.
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Now to one of the great success stories in global health – the fight against neglected tropical diseases, or NTDs.
NTDs are a group of 21 diseases that mainly affect poor and marginalized communities in tropical and subtropical regions.
In 2020, the World Health Assembly adopted the global roadmap for NTDs, with a target to eliminate at least one NTD in 100 countries, and to reduce the number of people needing interventions for NTDs by 90%, by 2030.
Today, WHO is publishing its mid-term evaluation of the global road map, which shows very encouraging progress.
As of June this year, 63 countries had eliminated at least one NTD;
The number of people requiring interventions has fallen by 19% since 2020;
And last year, only 10 cases of Guinea worm disease were reported.
But progress is uneven, funding is fragile and dependent on a small number of donors, and recent funding cuts have disrupted services and programmes.
Now is the time for countries and partners to step up, not step back.
That means increasing domestic financing, sustaining external support and integrating services for neglected tropical diseases into primary health care and universal health coverage.
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Finally, next Tuesday marks World Science Day for Peace and Development.
Science has always been the driver of progress in health, and the foundation of everything that WHO does.
But evidence improves lives only when it is trusted, understood and translated into policy and practice.
Misinformation and disinformation have become a systemic public health risk.
They distort decisions about vaccination, treatment, prevention and care, and can undermine emergency responses.
Next Tuesday, WHO will launch a new global movement called Together for Science and Health.
This initiative will bring together partners to focus on three connections: between science and society; science and policy; and science and communication.
Its purpose is not simply to rebut false claims.
It is to strengthen information integrity, make evidence more accessible and relevant, and build trust through transparency, credible voices and genuine engagement with communities.
We invite governments, institutions, civil society, media, technology companies and communities everywhere to join us.
Amna, back to you.