16
July 2008: Eric Laroche, the Assistant Director-General of the World Health
Organization (WHO), was the Special Guest for the Daily Noon Briefing at UN
Headquarters in NY, on 16 July 2008. Laroche spoke on the theme “UN Health
Action in Crises – Treating Climate Change, Food Crisis and Other Global Health
Challenges.”

On
climate change, the Assistant Director-General highlighted that, while possibilities such as increased flooding and less water are well-known,
many are not as familiar with the medical dimension of global warming,
including the advent of new viruses and insect vectors. To address such health
issues, he said it is imperative to boost preparedness and to increase response
and recovery capacity in countries at both the national and local levels. He
further stated that the “WHO had increased its capacity in the last three years
very significantly and wants to be a credible, predictable and reliable partner
in the emergency field.” [UN
News Release]