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Statement Submitted by the United States – WHO Regional Committee for Europe Special Session
Relocation of the World Health Organization Office of Non-Communicable Disease
3 MINUTE READ
May 15, 2023

Statement Submitted by the United States

WHO Regional Committee for Europe Special Session on the Relocation of the World Health Organization Office of Non-Communicable Disease

We thank our European Regional colleagues for convening us today and calling attention to the relocation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Office of Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) from Moscow to Copenhagen.

We strongly condemn Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine. Russia’s forces have launched barrage after barrage of missiles and drones on Ukraine, hitting cities and infrastructure, killing and injuring civilians, targeting healthcare workers, and damaging critical medical facilities including maternity and children’s hospitals, as well as homes, schools, farmland, roads, and power systems.

The conflict is depriving millions of safe and reliable access to essential health services and is leading to excess morbidity and mortality, due not only to violence but also to interruptions to healthcare service delivery . Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine continues to cause massive human suffering both inside of Ukraine and around the world.

We thank WHO and the other UN humanitarian agencies and partners that are working tirelessly to provide millions of Ukrainians, including those forcibly displaced, with lifesaving supplies, equipment, and medicines.

We look forward to our continued work together to address the health needs of the people of Ukraine and mitigate the far-reaching, negative health impacts of this conflict around the world.

Thank you.

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