Diabetes can be successfully prevented and managed by a healthy lifestyle. When not managed, it can lead to severe organ damage and death.
The specter of climate change threatens worsening natural disasters, rapid urbanization, forced migration, and economic hardship for the most vulnerable. Despite significant global advances, inability to effectively address epidemics and health emergencies still prevail and continuously threaten global health security and economic development.
We live in a world at constant risk of public health emergencies. In our increasingly interconnected world, public health emergencies can affect anyone, anywhere.
Simply put, girls and women are the keys that will unlock sustainable development. They are also at the center of the healthier and more resilient societies we desire.
I envision a world where everyone can lead healthy and productive lives, regardless of who they are or where they live.
Effective public-private partnerships will help drive the development of new products to meet the particular health needs of the poor and other vulnerable populations.
I think the world should unite and focus on strong health systems to prepare the whole world to prevent epidemics - or if there is an outbreak, to manage it quickly - because viruses don't respect borders, and they don't need visas.
Investing in girls and women is the smartest thing we can do, and will help us to improve opportunities for all people. With equal access to education, health care, employment, and representation in political and economic decision-making, girls and women are force to be reckoned with.
I believe UNAIDS' provocative leadership has been critical in addressing the AIDS epidemic and converting it from a death sentence to a chronic health condition.
The Paris Agreement underlines the urgency to implement climate action in support of sustainable development.
Strong health and disease surveillance systems halt epidemics that take lives, disrupt economies, and pose global health security threats.
Al Qaeda and ISIS may have global aspirations, but their ability to penetrate a society is strongly influenced by local conditions.
The fight against HIV/AIDS cannot be won unless countries take ownership of protecting and supporting the health of communities both near and far.
My experience in Ethiopia helped shape my vision for WHO. We need to promote evidence-based decision-making and awareness. Specifically, we need to advocate for research and development, champion and support global and regional coalitions, and strengthen national capacity.
The global commitment for the Sustainable Development Goals offers a profound opportunity to tackle the structural, social, and economic changes needed to end AIDS.
That all-too-common gap - between where the doctors, facilities and resources are based and where the individuals suffering from HIV live - had to be closed. This is what the Health Extension Program (HEP) was created to do.
Stabilizing economies and reducing political and civil strife are means to development and, as such, are part of the approach for promoting healthy populations.
Strong leadership is essential in the face of health crises. Complex public health emergencies demand a collective response with high-level political and diplomatic engagement at both the national and global levels.
The importance of Africa's development to the entire world should be self-evident. And yet, despite the high stakes, Europe - and the international community more broadly - have not devoted the attention and resources that the issue merits.
Working together with our exceptional leadership team, our Ministry of Health was empowered to make smart investments that could unlock our potential by producing long-lasting health and economic benefits for all.
