French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday, on the occasion of the WHO Assembly, that the World Health Academy, intended to "
become the benchmark training structure in public health
", would open its doors in Lyon in 2023.
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The project of this academy was launched in June 2019, before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, in order to "
train public officials, business leaders and the forces of global civil society in global health issues
" .
120 million investments
"
Two years later, I am very happy to announce, with you dear Doctor Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Director-General of WHO), that the World Health Academy has been launched
", declared the French President in a statement. Remarks posted online at the start of the 74th World Health Assembly, which takes place in Geneva until 1 June.
"
France is committed to investing more than 120 million euros (...) Its doors will open in Lyon in 2023 but it will offer from this summer a first catalog of online training
", he added. .
This WHO structure, partly funded by local communities, will be located at the Gerland biotechnology research center, which houses the International Cancer Research Center and pharmaceutical groups such as Sanofi.
According to the WHO, the need for training is immense since, according to it, there will be a shortage of 18 million health workers by 2030, especially in the less wealthy countries.
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For Emmanuel Macron, “
the current pandemic, with its procession of disinformation, has enabled us to see the importance of science and robust health systems
”.
“
Access to scientific data, to reliable information, training for the general public as well as for health personnel are essential in the current fight against the pandemic.
They will be at least as important in the face of all the shocks that we are sure to experience in the years and decades to come,
”he said.
Transparency
The French Head of State reaffirmed the need to strengthen, by reforming, the WHO, which "
must be both robust in times of crisis, sufficiently agile to react urgently, solid in the face of controversies, completely transparent to to inspire confidence, with a clear and transparent governance so as not to be subjected to any diplomatic pressure and which cannot be suspected of any pressure of this kind
”.
Read also: Covid-19: the WHO investigation hampered by China
The WHO has been criticized since the start of the pandemic, in particular by former US President Donald Trump who considered it too influenced by China.
