Dr. Tedros commemorated his first year as WHO Director-General by sharing an annual letter detailing the work of the organisation since he took office in July 2017. This is the first time a WHO DG has shared such a letter, which is an important policy piece highlighting WHO’s major achievements and laying out the DG’s priorities contained in WHO's new strategic plan.

The DG outlined the establishment of various initiatives to help strengthen health systems around the world, such as:

• Establishment of the Independent High-Level Commission on Noncommunicable Diseases;
• The call to action to eliminate cervical cancer;
• Elimination of trans fats from the global food supply by 2023; and
• The importance of climate change and health.

The letter also notes WHO has fast-tracked the development of its 13th General Programme of Work (GPW) and identified three main objectives: to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.

WHO's multi-faceted role

In addition, the DG stresses the importance and impact of WHO’s normative role in enabling people to have access to safe and effective medicines and vaccines through prequalification, and in producing guidelines and standards that ensure people receive safe and effective care.

Finally, the DG presents three keys to success to achieve the ambitious “triple billion” targets of WHO’s new strategic plan and to deliver on the goal of #HealthForAll: a transformed WHO, political commitment and partnership.

See the DG's letter