WHO

78^th  World Health Assembly

Agenda item 17.2 - Implementation of resolution WHA75.11 (2022)

Chair,

Director General,

Excellencies,

Colleagues,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the group of like-minded Member States: Albania, Austria, Australia, Andorra, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Iceland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Republic of Korea, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

We strongly condemn Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and illegal war against Ukraine. Russia grossly violates international law and the principles of the UN Charter, and causes death and suffering of the Ukrainian people. We reiterate our demand to Russia to immediately cease its military actions and fully respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.

We commend WHO’s efforts in maintaining and strengthening the health system in Ukraine under extremely challenging and often unsafe circumstances. We also appreciate the assistance given to the countries neighbouring Ukraine and refugee hosting communities. The Organization’s work in coordinating health cluster partners, facilitating medical evacuations and repatriations, ensuring the delivery of essential medical supplies and equipment has been instrumental in preserving health and care services for millions of persons affected by the unjustified war. 

We wish to reaffirm our unwavering support for WHO's work in Ukraine and call for: (1) sustained international support to ensure adequate funding for WHO’s emergency operations in Ukraine, (2) enhanced protection for health and care facilities and workers, (3) improved access to affected persons for humanitarian and health assistance, (4) strengthened coordination mechanisms among international partners, and (5) continued support for building resilient health systems.

We remain committed to supporting WHO's efforts in Ukraine through financial and in-kind contributions, technical expertise, and diplomatic support. We stand ready to work with WHO and other partners to ensure the effective implementation of Resolution WHA75.11 and to support the Ukrainians in meeting their health needs.

Furthermore, we remain committed to supporting Ukraine’s repair, recovery and reconstruction, in coordination with international partners. The Ukraine Recovery Conference hosted by Italy in July 2025 will be important in that context. We will continue to work closely with Ukraine and support its reform efforts on its European path. In 2025 and beyond, we continue to support Ukraine and its people.

The amendments proposed by the Russian Federation to the draft decision submitted by Ukraine represent a clear attempt to dilute the operative content of the decision, divert international attention from the health emergency it has caused, and reduce the scope and depth of reporting on the implementation of resolution WHA75.11. Such changes risk weakening the accountability framework established by the resolution and undermining WHO’s capacity to provide timely, accurate, and comprehensive updates on the health situation in Ukraine. We therefore call on all Member States to reject these amendments and to support the original draft decision as tabled by Ukraine.

Thank you, Chair.