On June 2, Ban Ki-moon, Chairman of Boao Forum for Asia, delivered an online speech at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Global Health Forum of Boao Forum for Asia.

Ban Ki-moon said that a bitter lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is that humanity has paid too much attention to economic growth at the expense of health, environment and sustainable development. Lack of investment in global public health has caused mankind to be caught off guard and stretched thin. This chronic neglect not only cost millions of lives, but dampened and disrupted economies and trade.

As early as 2018, the BFA New Board of Directors listed health as its first and foremost agenda of the Forum and launched the 1st Global Health Forum in 2019, and the move is consistent with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.

Ban praised the Chinese government for attaching great importance to global health issues, while commending China’s collaborative efforts in containing and preventing the pandemic. He also expressed gratitude to Shandong province and Qingdao city for co-organizing this forum.

To conclude, he noted that global health challenges are complex and multifaceted, and the global public health system urgently needs to be improved and strengthened so we can be better prepared when facing the next infectious disease. Malaria, hepatitis and tuberculosis continue to plague a large part of the world’s population, and chronic diseases detracts from the quality of life. As populations age, the sustainability of the global healthcare system needs to be addressed. He called on governments, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, scientists, doctors and nurses must work together and join hands in addressing these concerns, and he stressed that the Global Health Forum provides a valuable platform for such cooperation.