Ministers,
Excellencies,
Partners and colleagues,
Reading this report, what struck me most was not what is new—but how clearly it confirms what we already know and have not yet acted on.
There has been real progress.
Expanded vaccination.
Better access to testing and treatment.
And countries demonstrating that elimination is possible.
But the report also shows, just as clearly:
progress is too slow, too uneven, and too fragile.
Too many people remain undiagnosed.
Too many are not on treatment.
And too many communities are still being left behind.
At the same time, the context is becoming more difficult.
Financing is tightening.
Health systems are under pressure.
And competing priorities are crowding the agenda.
So the central message of this report is not about what we know.
It is about what we do.
The tools are available.
The guidance is clear.
What is required now is delivery—at scale, and with equity. 
If there is one conclusion we should take from this report, it is this: countries that succeed do three things well.
They integrate hepatitis into primary health care and UHC.
They invest—based on clear national priorities.
And they focus relentlessly on reaching those most at risk.
We see this in different parts of the world.
Including in the WHO South-East Asia Region—where countries have made important progress in areas such as immunization and prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and where examples like the Maldives demonstrate what is possible.
But the broader lesson is global:
elimination is achievable—but only where political commitment is sustained and translated into delivery.
This report gives us the evidence to act.
To sharpen policy.
To strengthen advocacy.
And to hold ourselves—and each other—accountable.
As WHO, we are fully committed to supporting this next phase.
Through clear guidance, through support to implementation, and through convening partners around country-led priorities.
Let me close with a simple point.
This report should not be read as a record of what has been done.
It should be used as a guide to what must happen next.
Because elimination is within reach—but only if we act with urgency, focus, and discipline.
Thank you.