The World Health Organization Geographically Dispersed Office for Humanitarian and Health Emergencies Preparedness was opened by the Minister of Health, Dr Fahrettin Koca and the Regional Director for WHO Europe, Dr Hans Kluge based on the agreement signed between the Government of Turkey and the World Health Organization.
Minister Koca participated the ceremony from Van and started his words by saying how glad he was for meeting Dr Kluge once again on the occasion of another very important health initiative.
Adding that the cooperation with WHO was continuing more multi-faceted than ever, Koca said, "Turkey's role in the regional and global health has been increasing under the leadership of our President. Our healthcare system, which was strongly rebuilt in the light of the lessons learned, and our humanitarian diplomacy, which is the foundation of our foreign policy, have been the two pillars of our active role in global and regional health. And our relations with WHO has further improved based on mutual health."
Noting that the most concrete example of this cooperation was the WHO Dispersed Office for Humanitarian and Health Emergencies Preparedness, the financial agreement of which was signed in July, Koca continued,"The aim of this office combines WHO's technical expertise with our leading role in humanitarian and health emergencies to contribute to regional and global health.
This office will operate in a variety of areas such as response to humanitarian crises, prevention of emergencies, risk management and capacity development in the European region. I am hoping that this office not only benefits the needs of our region but also the whole world and wish that it yields to fruitful conclusions."
Kluge, participating from Copenhagen, noted the importance of the day and said,"We are opening this center as the world is experiencing an unprecedented pandemic. However, faced with this challenge, this office shows how important human endurance and hope are. In addition, it also stresses the importance of regional and global solidarity. This is how we will beat this virus."
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