World Health Assembly Opens, Mourns Death of WHO Director-General

World Health Assembly Opens, Mourns Death of WHO Director-General

May 22, 2006

    GENEVA, May 23 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The Fifty-ninth
World Health Assembly (WHA) opened yesterday in sombre mood
following the death early on Monday morning of the World
Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr LEE
Jong-wook. Dr Lee, who was 61 and had been in his post
since July 2003, died following a sudden illness.

    Opening the formal proceedings of the Assembly, the
Minister of Health of Spain, Elena Salgado, said Dr Lee
"was an exceptional person and an exceptional
Director-General."

    The Assembly observed a two-minute silence and was
suspended for 30 minutes following the announcement of Dr
Lee's death. 

    Excerpts from a speech prepared by the Director-General
were read out to the Assembly by Dr Bill Kean, Executive
Director of the Director-General's Office.  In the speech,
Dr Lee set out his commitment to tackle difficult problems
and change expectations. "What matters in reform is
not words but action," he said. "I hope that the
actions of this Organization speak for themselves."

    Speaking of the importance of resources -- both human
and financial -- in the fight to improve global health, he
stressed that "if a problem can be solved by money
alone, it is not really a difficult problem."

    Dr Lee wrote that a key outcome of the "3 by
5" initiative he championed was the international
commitment to universal access.

    "Universal access," he wrote, "means
that no one should die because they can't get drugs.  It
means that no one will miss being tested, diagnosed and
treated because there aren't clinics.  It means that HIV
positive mothers will not unwittingly give a death sentence
to their babies. Their parents will live to look after them
instead of making them AIDS orphans."

    After the the Director-General's speech, the Assembly
was introduced to a passionate young HIV/AIDS activist from
Kenya, Johnson Mwakanze. Dr Lee wrote, "This is a voice
that must be heard. He speaks for the 40 million people
living with HIV, those living in the shadow of
stigma." 

    Johnson Mwakanze spoke of his experience through a
poem, "Underneath the Veil":

    "This one thing has destroyed families,

    This one thing has destroyed marriages,

    This one thing has killed men.

    It is not HIV

    It is not AIDS

    ... It is stigmatisation.

    I say STIGMATISATION."

    Dr Lee's speech urged countries to redouble their
efforts in the fight to eradicate polio. "The world
has invested US$4 billion so far in polio
eradication," he wrote. "I appeal to you all to
continue your support -- both political and financial -
until the job is finished."

    "Some have questioned whether polio eradication is
possible. Let there be no doubt. We can do it. And we
will."

    He also wrote, "Clearly things are not going well
with malaria control ... We accept our responsibility for
this. Now is not the time for shyness.  WHO will exercise
much greater leadership in malaria control."

    For more information, please contact: 

     Christine McNab,
     Communications officer, 
     Director-General's office
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

     Iain Simpson, 
     Communications officer,
     Director-General's office
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

SOURCE  World Health Organization