Building a Resilient Public Health System: Youth Power - World Health Forum
20 November 2021
Remarks by Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China
Thank you very much, I am delighted to be here and pleased to also see Dr. Margaret Chan. Let me start by acknowledging her and highlighting her interview with CNN back in 2007 when she said, “New and emerging infections keep coming back and the world needs a collective defense system, and that requires international cooperation and collaboration, in the name of global solidarity.” I am honoured to have served in the UN system when she led as Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and brought in transformational change.
Thank you all for these brilliant presentations and comments. They reflect the variety of your backgrounds and research interests, spanning a range of countries and topics including environment and health, health in the big-data era, health workforce and more. As the UN representative, I am especially touched by your attention to vulnerable groups such as women, children and adolescents, and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups.
I truly appreciate your efforts and research. I believe they will provide solid evidence and recommendations to build resilient public health systems.
Young people are our future and play a key role across all human endeavours. You were selected from hundreds of young scholars around the world and represent the top youth talents in this area. I trust you have the potential to play a greater role in striving for a healthy and sustainable world that leaves no one behind, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic has changed the lives of people worldwide, including the young people. Mr. António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, said that he is immensely saddened by what the COVID-19 pandemic has done to the world’s young people.
Hundreds of millions of them have had to put their lives on hold because of COVID-19. 90 per cent of young people have reported increased mental anxiety during the pandemic; more than one billion students in almost every country have been impacted by school closures; one in six young people worldwide have lost their jobs during the pandemic; and 80 per cent of young women are worried about their future. COVID-19 has also exacerbated all the risk factors for violence against women and girls, including unemployment and poverty, and reinforced many of the root causes such as gender stereotypes and harmful social norms.
Despite all these challenges, young people have not sat passively during the pandemic. Young people have been the most resourceful during this time of crisis, showing older generations how to adapt and respond to the rapid changes taking place. Just like you have done.
In your presentations today, you have shown us the power of youth and their talent to improve the public health system through different approaches: harnessing technology to promoting e-care and using real-time data to map the pandemic in a visualized way, tackling health issues from an environment perspective, addressing non-communicable diseases through behaviour intervention change programmes, strengthening the health workforces at both community and leader levels, and paying more attention to vulnerable groups.
As Dr. Tedros, the Director-General of WHO, said, “a youth-focused recovery from the pandemic is the right approach — one that must involve people of all ages”. The skills, energy and ideas of young people are essential for expanding health care, including via digital means, and addressing pollution and climate change. The world’s 1.8 billion young people can — and must play the critical role in “building back better” and fulfilling the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
President Xi Jinping also said, “A nation will be full of hope and have a great tomorrow when its younger generations have ideals, ability, and a strong sense of responsibility.”
Today’s forum is a chance to celebrate young people’s resilience and leadership, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. I congratulate you on your great contributions in tackling the health problems that our world is facing today. I would also encourage you to keep up the good work and serve as the public health leaders to engage more of your peers to join global health efforts in building a more resilient public health system.