STATEMENT
79th Session of the World Health Assembly
Agenda Item 3. Address by the Director-General
Statement by Dr. Cathrine M. Lofthus – Director General of Health, Norway.
Check against delivery
19 May 2026
President,
Director-General
Excellencies,
Dear colleagues and friends,
First, let me, on behalf of the Norwegian government, congratulate Dr Tore Godal on the recognition of his lifelong commitment and many achievements in global health. Few individuals have left such a significant mark on our work.
This Assembly offers us a distinctive moment to reaffirm, together, the vital role of WHO, the leading normative and technical organization in global health.
The world is no stranger to geopolitical tension and financial strain. In this context, WHO has made changes to not only weather the storm but emerge stronger. The organization’s ongoing efforts – to reform, to strengthen transparency and accountability, and to fulfil its normative mandate – must continue.
We commend WHO’s leadership and operational engagement in health emergencies and humanitarian settings. We strongly condemn the unacceptable trend of attacks on health workers and -facilities. International law must be respected. We thank the secretariat for continuing to monitor such attacks.
Responsibility for health does not rest with WHO alone. The global health community is engaged in important reform efforts to clarify the roles, functions and financing across an increasingly complex Global Health Architecture. However, this moves far too slowly.
Norway believes the pace of reform must increase significantly. We need a much stronger sense of urgency, sharper decisions and faster progress to ensure a more effective and better coordinated global health system. In this context, our objective remains clear: WHO must emerge with a strengthened, better resourced and central leadership role within the Global Health Architecture.
Colleagues, we must not lose sight of why we are all here today. Despite the challenges, we also see progress. As we continue the negotiations of the PABS annex, we must not lose momentum. Better health for all must remain as the guiding principle of our collective efforts.
Thank you.