Speech by Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland

Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland
Director-General
World Health Organization

Ministerial Conference on "TB and Sustainable Development"
Welcoming Remarks, Opening Ceremony
Amsterdam, 22 March 2000

Honorable Ministers,
Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honoured to welcome you to this important event. Some occasions provide unique opportunities for change. Such chances must be grasped while they are there. If not, there may be years before the opportunity re-appears or it may never happen again. This conference is such an opportunity for change. We must make the most of it.

We should take a moment to remind ourselves that we are in sitting in the very part of the world that was ravaged by tuberculosis in the 18^th and 19^th century. It was a scourge that took whole families in its wave and left many others alone, as their spouses, parents and siblings died of what was then known as "consumption".

Then, with the development of new TB drugs and improved living conditions due to socio-economic development, TB disappeared in the lives and minds of many.

We thought we had conquered TB - that it would soon be a disease of the past. But, today we are faced with an a global epidemic that is killing more people that at any point in its history. This week will be testimony to that. It will be a week to bring light to the gravity of this persisting epidemic, as well as a time to chart our collective response.

The Conference has been organized by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, as key partners in the Stop TB Initiative and we are grateful to the government of the Netherlands for being so supportive in their hosting of the Conference.

A considerable amount of work has gone into the preparation, including a valuable preparatory meeting in Bangkok this past January. Delegations from each of the high burden countries here today worked closely with the Stop TB coordinating team to shape an agenda which would be most responsive to national and as well as international concerns. I thank all of you for your efforts - they have made possible this very unique event. For the first time we are convening ministerial representatives across sectors as well as diverse international organizations - to examine, through the example of tuberculosis, the inextricable links between health and development.

Mr Wolfensohn and I have invited you to this important occasion recognizing that major health concerns cannot be effectively addressed by the health sector alone. It is clear that we need to work in partnership across all sectors to effectively respond to TB and other health issues that have such a significant bearing on sustainable development.

In these next few days we look forward to learning from each other's experiences as to how the TB epidemic is actually impacting on development - the social toll it is taking on women and children; the economic tolls on families, communities and nations; and the sheer distress of chronic illness and premature death.

We also look forward to charting tangible actions that we can pursue together - actions that contribute to the strengthening of health systems, poverty reduction and sustainable development as well as tangible options for financing and sustainability.

Let us grasp the opportunity we have to Stop TB. I look forward to a fruitful meeting.

Thank you.