Charleroi (Belgium), Liverpool (United Kingdom), and Shanghai (China) are the first WIPO City of Innovation award winners 🏆 They were recognized for their commitments to advancing innovation and creativity in their communities. 🔗 ow.ly/lJXc50ZWTRm #WIPOCityofInnovation

Belgium was pleased to co-organize a side event on #AI facilitated gender-based violence at #HRC63. Discussions highlighted both the risks it poses, and AI’s potential for gender equality. A key takeaway: human rights and gender equality must be at the heart of AI governance.

🇧🇪 Yesterday, the HRC adopted Belgium’s 4th UPR report. Following this process through which Belgium engaged in a dialogue with other Member States and civil society on its human rights record, the work continues with the implementation of the 227 accepted recommendations.

WHO stands at a crossroads: its future depends on the strength of its science, the trust of Member States and its ability to support countries in very different circumstances. This was a common thread in my meetings at @UNGeneva with representatives of France 🇫🇷, Germany 🇩🇪, Japan 🇯🇵, Lebanon 🇱🇧, Norway 🇳🇴, the Republic of Korea 🇰🇷and the United Kingdom 🇬🇧. We discussed WHO’s convening role in a changing global health architecture and how the next Director-General can help Member States bridge differences, including in the remaining negotiations on pathogen access and benefit-sharing under the Pandemic Agreement, and ensure fair representation across the Organization. The exchanges also brought the realities countries face into focus: from making advances in health data, medical AI and biomanufacturing work for the Global South to supporting health systems strained by conflict and displacement as mental health needs grow. I take these concerns seriously because they speak to whether countries can rely on WHO in practice. Listening to them strengthens my commitment to the direction set out in my manifesto: a science-led, country-first WHO with stable and predictable financing, where headquarters, regional and country offices work together to serve Member States better. My thanks to all seven delegations for their candid questions, generous feedback and commitment to a stronger WHO. @FranceONUGeneve | @CelineJurgensen | @GermanyUNGeneva | @JapanMissionGE | @mofalebanon1 | @NorwayInGeneva | @geneva_korea | @UKMissionGeneva | @KumarIyerUK | @BelgiumUNGeneva | @ChPayot

For small countries and island states, the question is not which health challenge to tackle first, but how to address several at once – with limited data, stretched workforces and communities separated by vast distances. That came through clearly in my exchange at @UNGeneva with representatives of Barbados 🇧🇧, Kiribati 🇰🇮, the Marshall Islands 🇲🇭 and Sri Lanka 🇱🇰. They raised concerns about equity in pandemic preparedness and access to vaccines and medicines; long-term health concerns linked to nuclear testing; TB and rheumatic fever; and climate shocks that damage facilities and disrupt supplies. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) came up repeatedly. The scale of the burden explains why: in 2019, eight of the 15 countries worldwide where the risk of premature death from major NCDs exceeded 30% were Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Bridgetown Declaration, adopted in Barbados, captures this reality by linking #NCDs and mental health with the climate crisis. Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s leadership on antimicrobial resistance reinforces this call for joined-up action. In my manifesto, I commit to equal treatment for small countries and island states across @WHO, including by appointing a Special Envoy. I am grateful for this candid and substantive exchange.

WHO needs reform, but Member States are tired of reform processes that consume time without improving the support they receive. These concerns shaped my exchange in @UNGeneva with representatives of @WHO Member States from the Region of the Americas: Brazil 🇧🇷, Canada 🇨🇦, Costa Rica 🇨🇷, the Dominican Republic 🇩🇴, Haiti 🇭🇹, Mexico 🇲🇽 and Peru 🇵🇪. They raised fundamental questions ranging from preserving WHO’s universality when Member States step away and securing more sustainable financing to strengthening research, upholding multilingualism and advancing equity, including gender equality, disability inclusion and migrant health. My response was that reform cannot become another restructuring exercise. It should make WHO more focused, accountable and responsive to countries; break down silos; protect public health from political divisions; and direct expertise and resources where they are most needed. Equity should be visible in how WHO works - from whose voices shape decisions to whether documents are available on time in all official languages. I look forward to continuing these conversations next week in Washington at PAHO’s 63rd Directing Council and the 78th Session of the Regional Committee of WHO for the Americas. @pahowho | @DirOPSPAHO | @opsoms | @BrazilUNGeneva | @CanadaGeneva | @costarica_ungva | @RDenONUGinebra | @Haiti_UNOG | @MisionMexOI | @PeruEnGinebra | @BelgiumUNGeneva | @ChPayot

How can @WHO keep health above politics, secure sustainable financing, guide AI responsibly and serve countries with limited resources and capacity? These questions were central to my meetings in Geneva with Ambassadors @AmbAlaaHegazy of Egypt 🇪🇬, @RPDSUBEDI of Nepal 🇳🇵, @KhadraDuale of Somalia 🇸🇴 and Zaheer Laher of South Africa 🇿🇦 - their countries’ Permanent Representatives to @UNGeneva. Each brought a distinct perspective. We discussed access to specialized care in fragile settings; the needs of smaller countries with limited purchasing power and research capacity; local manufacturing and the role of traditional medicine; and the standards needed to ensure that AI and other technologies support safe and equitable care. My manifesto speaks directly to these concerns. It calls for a country-first WHO that listens to countries, responds to their different realities and has the stable and predictable financing needed to support them. Such a WHO would set global norms and standards; be guided by science and preserve the independence of its technical work; and ensure that its senior leadership is diverse, regionally representative and selected on merit. I am grateful to the four ambassadors for such frank exchanges, and to Ambassador @ChPayot, Belgium’s 🇧🇪Permanent Representative to the @UN in Geneva, for his support and for accompanying me throughout these engagements.

🇺🇳🇧🇪Today in Geneva, Dr. Hans Kluge, the Belgian nominee for @WHO Director-General, engaged in constructive dialogues with various Member State delegations. He presented his comprehensive vision for the future of the World Health Organization 🌎 1/4

(EN/FR/NL) 🇺🇳 Last night, I had the honour of speaking on behalf of Belgium at the United Nations General Assembly. I began with The Blind by Maurice Maeterlinck. A Belgian work, but also a striking image of our time: people standing close to one another, facing the same dangers, yet struggling to find their way forward together. That is also what diplomacy is about: continuing to talk when we disagree, listening, seeking to understand and building bridges, without giving up on our principles. And we do have a compass: the United Nations Charter and international law. They cannot be applied selectively. Borders cannot be redrawn by force. Civilians must be protected. Humanitarian aid must reach those who need it. And human rights cannot depend on a passport, a territory or the balance of power at a given moment. These rules apply on land as well as at sea. I also wanted to speak about the climate and the ocean, and our responsibility to preserve them for future generations. And believing in the United Nations also means having the courage to change it. It must better reflect the world of today and regain its full capacity to act. 🔗 My full speech: gadebate.un.org/en/81/belgiu… __________ 🇺🇳 Cette nuit, j’ai eu l’honneur de porter la voix de la Belgique à l’Assemblée générale des Nations Unies. J’ai commencé par Les Aveugles de Maurice Maeterlinck. Une œuvre belge, mais aussi une image saisissante de notre époque : des êtres humains proches les uns des autres, confrontés aux mêmes dangers, mais qui peinent à trouver leur chemin ensemble. C’est aussi tout le sens de la diplomatie : continuer à se parler lorsqu’on n’est pas d’accord, écouter, chercher à comprendre et construire des ponts, sans renoncer à ses principes. Et nous avons une boussole : la Charte des Nations Unies et le droit international. Ils ne peuvent pas s’appliquer à géométrie variable. Les frontières ne peuvent être redessinées par la force. Les civils doivent être protégés. L’aide humanitaire doit parvenir à ceux qui en ont besoin. Et les droits humains ne peuvent dépendre d’un passeport, d’un territoire ou du rapport de force du moment. Ces règles valent sur terre comme en mer. J’ai aussi voulu parler du climat et de l’océan, et notre responsabilité de les préserver pour les générations futures. Et croire dans les Nations Unies, c’est aussi avoir le courage de les changer. Elles doivent mieux refléter le monde d’aujourd’hui et retrouver toute leur capacité à agir. 🔗 Mon discours complet : prevot.belgium.be/fr/actuali… __________ 🇺🇳 Vannacht had ik de eer om namens België het woord te nemen op de Algemene Vergadering van de Verenigde Naties. Ik begon met De blinden van Maurice Maeterlinck. Een Belgisch werk, maar ook een treffend beeld voor onze tijd: mensen die dicht bij elkaar staan en met dezelfde gevaren worden geconfronteerd, maar moeite hebben om samen hun weg te vinden. Daar ligt ook de essentie van diplomatie: met elkaar blijven spreken wanneer we het oneens zijn, luisteren, proberen te begrijpen en bruggen bouwen, zonder onze principes los te laten. En we hebben een kompas: het Handvest van de Verenigde Naties en het internationaal recht. Die mogen niet à la carte worden toegepast. Grenzen mogen niet met geweld worden hertekend. Burgers moeten worden beschermd. Humanitaire hulp moet mensen in nood kunnen bereiken. En mensenrechten mogen nooit afhangen van een paspoort, een grondgebied of de machtsverhoudingen van het moment. Die regels gelden op het land én op zee. Ik heb ook willen spreken over het klimaat en de oceaan, en over onze verantwoordelijkheid om die te beschermen voor de generaties na ons. En wie in de Verenigde Naties gelooft, moet ze ook durven veranderen. Ze moeten de wereld van vandaag beter weerspiegelen en opnieuw ten volle in staat zijn om te handelen. 🔗 Mijn volledige toespraak: prevot.belgium.be/nl/nieuws/… @BelgiumMFA @BelgiumUN

🇧🇪 B-FAST’s field hospital has officially been certified by the @WHO. It is now part of the WHO network of internationally recognised emergency medical teams, ready to deploy within 24–48 hours in response to disasters, crises and health emergencies. [1/3]

The Government of Belgium has nominated me for the position of WHO Director-General. I am deeply honoured by the trust and confidence Belgium 🇧🇪has placed in me, and grateful for the opportunity to stand for this important responsibility. Effective today, I will be on special leave from my role as WHO Regional Director for Europe, in accordance with WHO's established procedures. During this period, I look forward to engaging with Member States, partners and civil society listening to their perspectives, and exchanging views on the future of our Organization and global health. I know that @WHO_Europe's important work will continue under the capable leadership of Dr Corinne Capuano during my period of special leave, and I wish Corinne every success in this responsibility. My commitment to WHO, its Member States and the values of our Organization will remain unwavering, as will my deep respect for the outstanding leadership of @DrTedros, who has guided WHO through some of the most challenging moments in global health. Serving @WHO has been the greatest privilege of my professional life. I approach this next chapter with humility, optimism and a steadfast commitment to the values that unite us in improving #HealthForAll.