ORDRE SOUVERAIN MILITAIRE HOSPITALIER DE MALTE
MISSION PERMANENTE
D’OBSERVATION AUPRÈS DE L’OFFICE
DES NATIONS UNIES
ET DES AUTRES ORGANISATIONS INTERNATIONALES
À GENÈVE
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
59th World Health Assembly
General Debate
Geneva, May 24th, 2006
Statement by :
H.E. Ambassador Marie-Thérèse Pictet-Althann
Permanent Observer
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Permanent Observer Mission of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva
Place Claparède 3 – 1205 Geneva – Switzerland – Tél: 022 346 86 87 – Fax : 022 347 08 61
e-mail: , www.orderofmalta.org
Mr. President,
Acting Director-General,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Colleagues,
Allow me to join other delegations in expressing the Sovereign Order of Malta’s sincere condolences on the sudden and tragic loss of Doctor Lee Jong-wook. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his home country Korea and the entire WHO family. He dedicated his life to the cause of those who most need health and we shall miss his vision, his courage and his discreet way of solving problems.
I also would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, as well as the Vice Presidents, on your election to the Presidency of the 59th World Health Assembly.
“Our motivation is to alleviate human suffering”. This motto of the Order of Malta’s relief organizations illustrates its purpose. Caring for the sick, the needy and the poor has been central to the work of this sovereign institution for 900 years. As in the past, its activities today relate to human health and well being and are therefore of interest to the World Health Organization and its member states.
Without a territory of its own, the Order of Malta carries out its health activities in some 120 countries, many of which are situated in regions which need the most help in health matters, as per the World Health Report 2006.
Working together for health is the theme of this year’s WHA, and in this context I wish to point out in particular the scope and breadth of the Order of Malta’s health activities and training of health workers around the world.
More than 11 000 employees, mainly medical and paramedical personnel, work under the direction of 62 national organizations. They train approximately 80.000 regular volunteers for health or humanitarian tasks. While 15 million people in need are beneficiaries, the value of the Order of Malta’s health and humanitarian activities worldwide exceeds 1 billion US dollars per year.
These figures indicate that the outreach of the Order of Malta’s health activities is comparable to some WHO member States, and not the smallest ones. Today it is a major global, professional organization in terms of humanitarian aid, medical care and emergency medicine.
Its large network of hospitals, clinics, medical centers and dispensaries includes 60 general hospitals and clinics in Europe, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Australia, many of which complement national health systems. In Bethlehem, a modern teaching hospital provides the only high quality maternity care available in the region.
Highly specialized homes for people with disabilities, diabetic centers, institutions for the homeless as well as the fight against HIV /AIDS underline the wide scope of medical coverage. Furthermore, ambulance corps operate in almost 40 countries.
While relief for the elderly is gaining importance with longer life expectancy, the Order of Malta
runs establishments to assist the aged in many countries. It also provides palliative care and programs for the rehabilitation of drug addicts.
For many years the Order of Malta, together with WHO, has been playing an active part in the ongoing fight against leprosy. Its numerous initiatives in Asia, Africa and Latin America include specialized hospitals for leprosy patients in Cambodia and Senegal.
Other traditional activities are assistance to refugees and asylum seekers, for whom the Order of Malta, often in partnership with UNHCR, runs long term medical programs, and the distribution of medicines in accordance with WHO medicine donation guidelines. Medicines and medical equipment are shipped to countries in need for millions of US dollars every year.
Mr. President,
Natural disasters and armed conflicts affect millions of people worldwide. In order to combine the Order of Malta’s increasing relief activities with its long experience in humanitarian aid, Malteser International was created in 2005 (www.malteser-international.org ) to provide relief to major emergencies in the world, especially in the health sector. Emergency medical provision, preventive measures to contain epidemics, hygiene and the supply of drinking water are among its priorities. Malteser International’s emergency relief measures following the Tsunami included medical care for flood victims. It has remained on the spot and is now running rehabilitation, reconstruction and medical projects in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia. At present Malteser International covers over 100 programs and projects in Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, the Americas and Asia, including the earthquake affected areas of Iran, Pakistan and India. Its mission also includes medical and first aid care of peacekeeping operations, such as in the past for the 1,300 members of UNIKOM and the UN Observer and Assistance Missions to Central America, East Timor, Afghanistan and the Balkans.
Referring to Afghanistan, I wish to mention the sad news that one of our colleagues, Dr. Ezmeray, the 30-year-old head of Malteser International’s health care center in the Badghis Province, was killed in an ambush attack on May 12th. He was traveling in a convoy with UNICEF and was guided by Afghan security forces. Such tragic incidents illustrate the dangers health workers can be confronted with.
Thanks to its independence and impartiality, the Order of Malta is able to assist in certain difficult situations where other organizations have little or no access. Its diplomatic relations with 94 States provide valuable support for rapid and efficient relief, while the longstanding history of its health and humanitarian activities and its modern logistics ensure the reliability of its endeavors.
As you will have noted, Mr. President, the Order of Malta is fully engaged in the global health issues of our time. Its extensive activities are carried out in accordance with WHO recommendations and in partnership with the international community. It is grateful for the constant and growing support and recognition it receives from international institutions and Governments, as well as from more than one million donors every year.
Thank you Mr. President. Geneva, May 24th, 2006.
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