The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has hailed the collective experience of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) countries in combating COVID-19, saying that it will help WHO in building a safer world. He made these remarks during his speech at the Summit of the Contact Group of the NAM to Combat COVID-19 in Baku on March 2.

According to Ghebreyesus, the steps taken by NAM countries in responding to the pandemic can benefit the whole world in building healthier and more equitable systems. He also appealed to NAM members to support an international agreement on pandemic preparedness and response, which will be submitted to the 77th World Health Assembly in 2024.

In addition, he emphasized the importance of strengthening the global health architecture, with WHO at the center, and investing in building local productive capacity. Ghebreyesus called for support from NAM members in this work, which he identified as a key priority for WHO.

The speech by the WHO Director General highlights the critical role played by NAM countries in the global response to COVID-19, and the potential for their collective experience to inform the development of effective pandemic preparedness and response strategies.ww