Baku: During the opening ceremony of the 13th Global Baku Forum, Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlighted the disparity between funding for healthcare and defense spending.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Ghebreyesus emphasized that while pandemics have the potential to claim millions of lives and disrupt global economies, the world continues to invest significantly more in defense than in combating health threats.

Ghebreyesus remarked that the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how health security is intrinsically linked to national security in a globalized world. He pointed out that viruses do not adhere to borders, and misinformation can spread faster than diplomatic efforts. He stressed the importance of health security as a unifying force that transcends boundaries, ideologies, and divisions, fostering security, development, equality, and trust.

The WHO chief underscored the necessity for countries to collaborate in the realm of health, despite other divisions. He reminded the audience of the founding purpose of the WHO 78 years ago, which was to promote such cooperation in the face of global health challenges.