Looking forward to better global health

Health is one of the most precious things to us and our families. Today, on World Health Day, we can reflect on the achievements we've made as a global community to tackle big health threats and protect ourselves from killer diseases. And we can reflect on the progress Nigeria has made to improve people's health and prevent untimely deaths, particularly among children, the most vulnerable in our society.

But it's also a time to take note of the health challenges that still threaten us and to remind ourselves that we can't afford to be complacent.

It is unacceptable that in Nigeria approximately 800,000 children and 40,000 mothers die each year from avoidable causes, and that disease such as malaria and outbreaks of meningitis, measles and other infectious diseases continue to claim lives.

It is in Nigeria and the entire world's interests to have the best health security systems and support in place to keep us as safe as possible from disease, epidemic or malnutrition - we must push for improvements in these systems and make sure they work for the people that need them the most.

The reality is that it is often the poorest and most vulnerable people who struggle to maintain good health, often blocked from access to quality health care, exposed to disease-prone environments or forced to drink unsafe drinking water. We need a system that works for these people.

There has been huge progress towards making the world a healthier place, and the UK is proud to have played a leading role in achieving this.

Global polio cases for example have been reduced from 350,000 in 1988 to 37 in 2016, with only five new cases in 2017. There are only three countries in the world where polio remains endemic: Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. This means that the end of polio transmission globally in 2017 is a real possibility.

Last year, malaria deaths were halved in six high burden countries. The UK helped save the lives of 103,000 women in pregnancy and childbirth, we helped immunise more than 67 million people against preventable diseases, and we supported more than 64 million people to access clean water, better sanitation or improved hygiene conditions.

The UK has a long and historic relationship with Nigeria, and Nigeria remains one of the priority countries for UK aid support. In Nigeria, UK support since 2010 has helped save the lives of over 105,000 mothers and children, improved nutrition for over 6 million women and children and provided almost 6 million people with access to clean water.

Despite progress, Nigeria and the world continue to face many challenges including climate change, widespread poverty and conflict as well as the threat of infections such as Tuberculosis becoming more resistant to available medicines. And as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014 recently showed us, the world is not immune to killer diseases, and when national health systems can't cope and international health systems are not fully prepared, health threats can quickly become full-blown crises.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is vital to help meet these challenges, as the organisation that helps the global health community and governments better understand, prepare for and respond to the biggest health threats of our time. But it urgently needs an upgrade and must take steps to reform and improve its organisational effectiveness.

There is now a real opportunity to see positive change, with the election of a new Director General of the WHO shortly taking place. At the end of May health ministers of 194 nations will meet for their annual assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. They will elect the person who will - on July 1st - replace Dr Margaret Chan as the next Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). This job is about ensuring the health and wellbeing of billions of people, and it needs someone who can meet this challenge.

That is why the UK has given Dr David Nabarro - one of the final three candidates in the running for the position - our full support. Dr Nabarro's experience is unrivalled - he has spent over 40 years in international public health as a medical doctor, educator, international public servant and diplomat. He has repeatedly and successfully managed complex global challenges and led the world in responding to crises. He has worked on the frontline, in over 50 countries including Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. He has also spent 15 years getting to grips with the intricacies of the UN and global health systems, working on Ebola, bird flu, cholera and nutrition. David's breadth of experience makes him uniquely qualified to ensure that the WHO is equipped to face the challenges of the next decade. He is the right candidate at the right time.

In today's global and interconnected world, with an increasing population, new diseases, deadly outbreaks and resurging threats from old ones now resistant to antibiotics, health must be a top priority on the

The UK has a long and historic relationship with Nigeria, and Nigeria remains one of the priority countries for UK aid support. In Nigeria, UK support since 2010 has helped save the lives of over 105,000 mothers and children, improved nutrition for over 6 million women and children and provided almost 6 million people with access to clean water. There is now a real opportunity to see positive change, with the election of a new Director General of the WHO shortly taking place. At the end of May health ministers of 194 nations will meet for their annual assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. They will elect the person who will - on July 1st - replace Dr Margaret Chan as the next Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

international agenda. The UK will continue to lead global efforts to fight deadly diseases that blight the lives of millions around the world, while helping countries to build stronger health systems. And we will continue to push for improvements in international organisations so that they can best protect us from health threats. The world deserves nothing less and that is why the WHO needs Dr Nabarro.

Mr. Mellor is Head UK Department for International Development (DFID) Nigeria