THE 67th session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for the Western Pacific opened in Manila on Monday to discuss important health issues affecting the Region’s nearly 1.9 billion people.
The Regional Committee is WHO’s governing body for the Region, which includes 37 countries and areas from China in the north and west, to New Zealand in the south, and French Polynesia in the east.
In his keynote address to the Regional Committee, Dr. Shin Young-soo, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, paid homage to WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan, whose term finishes in June 2017.
He extolled her many accomplishments and called her a “proud daughter of the Western Pacific.”
“Under Dr. Chan’s leadership, WHO has launched extensive self-motivated reforms. She has made the Organization more effective and efficient, and much more responsive to Member States,” said Dr. Shin.
Shin then highlighted the achievements and challenges of the Region over the past year.
He said the Region’s proactive approach has resulted in significant progress against the most serious threats to health.
