Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu, Director-General of the World Health Organization, delivers his keynote remarks at GLOBSEC 2022, Friday 3 June.

  • Dr. Tedros explained the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on everyday lives has been immense and warned there is a great risk of new and more violent variants emerging
  • In order to be more pandemic resilient, great emphasis on the public health is needed

As leaders gather in Bratislava, Slovakia to discuss how to further mobilize support for Ukraine and increase the resilience of Europe in the face of a new harsh geopolitical reality, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu, Director-General of the World Health Organization, stressed that the shift in global healthcare architecture, including stronger governance, is needed.

Dr. Tedros’ speech confirmed again that healthcare is vulnerable to any type of crisis and we must insist on making healthcare systems more resilient which requires increased investments and reprioritization of healthcare.

“The time to act is now – the history of pandemics is the history of panic and neglect. The world usually throws money at the health crisis, but cuts resources after the pandemic,” he said.

Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic situation he mentioned: “Globally, more than 60 percent of the world is now vaccinated. But it is still far too early to say that the pandemic is over. It is not over.”

GLOBSEC’s own initiative, CEE Health Readiness Index, highlights the need for making healthcare a priority in the region, arguing that the healthcare sector is a critical infrastructure with a significant impact on the whole ecosystem of trade, industry, and services worldwide. The Index which will be introduced during the Forum, and will be published later this year, provides a composite indicator that compares and evaluates CEE countries’ healthcare systems on a fair basis and contrasts them to the rest of the EU.

Watch the full session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWi9t-JX_VU

This year’s GLOBSEC summit dubbed a “summit at the frontlines of war”, takes place on June 2 – 4, with the main theme of “building resilience in a divided world.” It convenes at a strategic time when more than 1,500 public figures, global and business leaders, meet in person to confront the current issues of a crisis-driven world, including restoring stability amid a new era of geopolitical conflict; strengthening resilience in the sphere of energy security, healthcare, sustainability, cyber and tech; maintaining economic growth and defending democracy among others.

Robert Vass, President of GLOBSEC, in his opening speech has called for action to mobilize support for Ukraine. He said: “This conflict is about far more than Ukraine. It is also about us and the world we live in. The future of the West is being decided now in Eastern Europe … Whatever the upcoming weeks and months will bring, the leaders of NATO and the EU should be designing their responses. There is no time to lose. This is what we are here for at the Forum – to offer solutions.”

This year, the 17th edition of the Forum is be the biggest conference in the CEE region with the most impressive lineup yet, including more than 30 delegations alongside a roster of internationally recognized business and opinion leaders. Furthermore, as a part of the framework of the Forum, GLOBSEC, in cooperation with the Slovak and Ukrainian governments, kicks off a campaign to mobilize political, military, financial and economic support for Ukraine.

About GLOBSEC:

GLOBSEC is a global think-tank based in Bratislava committed to enhancing security, prosperity, and sustainability in Europe and throughout the world. It is an independent, non-partisan, non-governmental organisation. Its mission is to influence the future by generating new ideas and solutions for a better and safer world. To this goal contributes the annual GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum, one of the leading conferences on global security in the world. GLOBSEC also organises the annual GLOBSEC Tatra Summit, a conference that provides the opportunity for experts to have fruitful political discussions on the future of Europe.