Mr. President,

I would like to thank you for convening today’s meeting to launch the Joint Statement in support of the International Year of Health and Care Workers.
Let me also thank H.E. Mr. Tedros A. Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, for joining us today via video message and for his support to this joint endeavor.

To date, the Joint Statement has been supported by 130 delegations. This is a collective success as a result of the joint efforts of the members of the Core Group, that consists of Brazil, Georgia, Japan, Republic of South Africa, Thailand and Türkiye. Seizing this opportunity, I wish to thank the delegations who co-sponsored the statement as well as the fellow members of the Core Group and WHO’s New York Office for their
constructive engagement and invaluable contributions to this endeavor throughout the process.



Most importantly, I would like to express our deepest appreciation to the health and care workers all around the world, for their hard work, unwavering dedication and tremendous sacrifices they have made in our fight against the pandemic. They have been an essential pillar of strength and solidarity as well as an embodiment of hope in our communities. We owe them a profound dept of gratitude.

On this occasion, I would like to express my deepest condolences and sympathies to the families, colleagues and friends of those health and care workers who lost their lives in the line of duty since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Excellencies,

The Covid-19 pandemic constitutes an unprecedented crisis in our living memory.It has severely affected every aspect of life in each member state,
with a multitude of devastating consequences for our societies, economies and well-being of our people.



It is the health and care workers who continue to shoulder the largest share of the burden in this relentless crisis, as first responders, working tirelessly under profound stress.

They fight against pandemic often without adequate staff and equipment.
They experience fatigue, stress, isolation and in some cases face physical and psychological violence and stigmatization.
Against this background, upon the initiative of Türkiye, the 73rd World Health Assembly designated 2021 as the International Year of Health and Care Workers, to recognize the critical role the health and care workers play at this crucial time. Through this initiative, Türkiye also aimed to draw attention to the challenges they face and help amplify their voices.

Excellencies,

Clearly, we need to ensure that our health and care workforces are fully protected, motivated and equipped to deliver health care and are given priority access to vaccination against Covid-19.

We have to put mental health and well-being of health and care workers at the center of our response and recovery efforts.


We also need to prioritize investments in social protection systems, including in health systems and resilient health infrastructure and human capital.

Unfortunately, particularly low and middle-income countries still continue to face many challenges in training, experience and geographical distribution inequalities in their health workforce.

With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Türkiye has attached particular importance to support its health and care workforce, including by providing socioeconomic and psychological support.
We have introduced and implemented policies in a number of areas to ensure that they keep themselves safe while saving the lives of the others.

We will continue to work towards this end in the next phases of our fight against the pandemic.

As I conclude, Mr. President, I extend my appreciation once again to all delegations who co-sponsored the joint statement and for demonstrating their support to health and care workers at the frontline in our fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
This statement will undoubtedly send a strong message to the world from the UN General Assembly as a solid manifestation of our solidarity with and gratitude to them. Thank you.