Address by Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia on New Year's Eve 2010, 31 December 2009, WHO SEARO.

Address by Dr Samlee Plianbangchang Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia On New Year’s Eve 2010 31 December 2009 WHO SEARO 1 Address by Dr Samlee Plianbangchang Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia to all staff of WHO SEARO & WHO Country Office in India on New Year’s Eve 2010 31 December 2009 WHO SEARO ------------- Colleagues, A very Happy New Year 2010 to all of you. Two thousand and nine is coming to an end. It was another year full of challenges, challenges for both “Member States” and for “WHO”. As we know, the year 2009 started with: • the global “food crisis”, followed by • the global “financial crisis”, and then • the outbreak of pandemic influenza that caused a “global panic”. These developments were in addition to the ongoing challenges of “climate change”. Climate change seems to be contributing to more “severe natural disasters” more frequently than ever before. And climate change also seems to contribute to “outbreaks” of “communicable diseases” especially “vector borne diseases” (VBDs), more regularly. The effects of these are believed to be among other important consequences of “climate change”. 2 In the WHO South-East Asia Region, Member States have to face both “existing” and “emerging” “health challenges”. We in the SEA Region have done our best to support Member Countries in their fight against health problems; and in their efforts to tackle many complex issues in health. During the past year, Member States of the Region continued to “appreciate” and “commend” the support provided by WHO in the SEA Region. We have been working in a team, the “WHO team”. We equally share the “responsibility” for and the “commitment” to the work of WHO in the SEA Region. As the Team Leader, I sincerely thank you all, both professional and support staff, for your dedicated efforts. I am sure we have together contributed substantially to: • the improvement of the health status of the peoples in the SEA Region; and • the building and strengthening of country capability and capacity, in the health sector in particular. It is our duty as staff of the World Health Organization to continue doing our best in contributing to such improvement and strengthening. We will have to continue our hard work in 2010. There may be even more work in store in the coming year because Member States will expect more and better services from us. And, as we are all well aware, we will have less resources at our disposal. We will have to do the same, or even more work, with less resources. To meet the expectations of Member States we will have to work more efficiently and more effectively. We have to attentively pursue economy measures. We also have to ensure the efficient and effective use of available resources. And we have to try to reduce all kinds of waste in the process of our programme implementation. 3 Let us hope that “GSM” would help increase our management efficiency in the years to come. To maintain or even increase our services to countries we need to have adequate “capacity”. Especially, the capacity to do more with less. As far as Human Resources (HR) is concerned, we will not be able to have more fixed term staff as we wished. We will have to mobilize expertise available in countries through various mechanisms as much as possible for short-term use. We also have to pursue the use of “core” and “temporary” staff. This matter has been discussed many times in the recent past. Some broad guidelines on this use have been made available for application by departments and TUs. In the year to come, efficient and effective management of HR will be extremely important. We will have to review this practice more often. Colleagues, I do not have an intention to draw a gloomy picture of our future work, particularly at this point in time. Instead, I am simply trying to remind us of the challenges ahead. The challenges that will soon be a reality and with which we will have to live in the year to come. And I just would like to encourage all of us to prepare ourselves better to face those formidable challenges. As a part of our preparation, we need to take the best care of our own “health”. We need to learn and practise “how to stay healthy”, physically, mentally and socially. We will be able to contribute the maximum to the work of WHO only when we are optimally healthy. 4 As far as “health” is concerned, our “body” and our “mind” must always go together. When we are strong, we have to be strong in both body and mind. We have to keep this in mind all the time. We will not be able to achieve “good physical health” if our “mental and social health” is not good and vice versa. We will not be able to achieve “mental and social well-being” without being physically healthy. All of us already know that we can achieve optimum physical health through physical activity, proper diet and adequate rest, among other things. On the other hand, to achieve “good mental and social health”, we have to learn how to work and live positively with our colleagues and friends; how to work and live with them “harmoniously”, “peacefully”, and “cordially”. We need to work and live with our colleagues and friends: • with a positive attitude; • with friendly and generous cooperation; and • with the readiness to help others at all times. In performing our work, we should avoid a bureaucratic approach as much as possible. A bureaucratic approach often creates interpersonal conflicts and problems, and it causes delay and red tape in our work. A peaceful and cordial climate in our work environment can be created if we learn how to: • forgive, • be kind, 5 • be fair for all, • be free from aggressiveness and revengeful attitude, and • adapt ourselves to suit the environment around us as much as possible and not the other way around. In many or most cases, it is very difficult to change your environment to suit yourself. Colleagues, Being international civil servants we have to always ensure that the “efficiency”, “integrity” and “image” of the Organization is maintained at the highest level. We have to strictly observe our code of conduct as international civil servants within the UN system. We have to strictly practise this code of conduct at all times. We should be “role models” as far as our conduct and our ethical practices are concerned. Also, as WHO staff members, we need to serve as the “role models” in terms of our “health practices”. We have to practise what we preach. We should be proud to have had the opportunity to be staff members of this international health organization, the organization that serves humanity without prejudice. Now we are moving to the New Year and we are passing from one decade to the next. This is a matter of change in time. The spatiality will continue to evolve around the year, over the decade. Our life also will continue to evolve according to time and space. Our life will not always be the same. Only our deeds will be remembered for long. Let us pursue our 6 work through only good deeds. Therefore, I would like to invite all of us to resolve at this juncture of time that we in WHO will untiringly continue our good work in the Organization: • with unwavering commitment and loyalty; and • with selfless dedication. Within the mandate of WHO, we will continue our diligent efforts towards the improvement of peoples’ health in the SEA Region. We will continue devoting our time and energy to serve humanity in this part of the world. Now, for you all I wish a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year and I wish you all the best and all success in your work and in your life throughout the year 2010. Thank you very much.