Geneva, January 22, 2024, During the commencement of the 154th session of the Executive Council for World Health, Dr. Tedros Adhanom, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), outlined key accomplishments from the organization's past year. Dr. Adhanom highlighted the notable progress of health and pharmaceutical regulatory bodies in Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, reaching elevated levels of maturity. This achievement positions them alongside Korea, Singapore, and Switzerland as reference regulatory bodies, meeting globally recognized standards and practices.
Additionally, Dr. Adhanom underscored a substantial reduction in tobacco use across 150 countries, resulting in 19 million fewer smokers compared to the figures from two years ago. Emphasizing the organization's commitment to addressing broader health challenges, he pointed out that WHO extended support to over 50 countries in fortifying their health systems against the impacts of climate change. Dr. Adhanom emphasized the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, noting that WHO assisted these nations in crafting comprehensive One Health action plans.
