Speech of Mr. Phankham Viphavanh
Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic
on the International Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of Artemisinin and on Building a Global Community of Health for All

Speech of Mr. Phankham Viphavanh

Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic

at the International Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of Artemisinin and on Building a Global Community of Health for All

Distinguished Heads of State and Government,

H.E. Wang Yi, State Councilor and Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China,

Distinguished Director-General of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,

First of all, it gives me great pleasure and honor to attend the International Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of Artemisinin and on Building a Global Community of Health for All.

And I would like to send congratulations to the Chinese side for hosting this international forum.

It is well known that malaria has posed a serious threat to human health and life for centuries, and Laos has similarly been affected by malaria in the past. Through cooperation with WHO, China and other friendly nations, Laos has been able to address the challenge well.

During 2000 and 2010, Laos has reduced malaria cases by 92% nationwide. At the same time, the Lao government has set the goal of "Eliminating malaria by 2030" although there are significant challenges to achieving the goal.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Today, our world is facing unprecedented challenges, in addition to continuing to address the issue of malaria, the spread of COVID-19 remains a serious obstacle to the return to normal life for people around the world.

Laos would like to take this opportunity to actively participate and work with WHO, China and other development partners, to jointly implement His Excellency President Xi Jinping's calling for building a global community of health for all, and to work towards a healthy body and a brighter outlook for everyone and a more beautiful world that we all share.

To conclude, I wish the International Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of Artemisinin and on Building a Global Community of Health for All a full success.

Thank you.