Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, on Monday urged countries to work together to bring the acute phase of the pandemic to an end, saying that they now have all the tools available to do so.
"The Covid-19 pandemic is now entering its third year and we are at a critical juncture," he said at a press conference alongside Germany's Development Minister Svenja Schulze.
"We must work together to bring the acute phase of this pandemic to an end. We cannot let it continue to drag on, lurching between panic and neglect," Tedros added.
He also said Germany had become the agency's largest donor, without giving details.
“Historically, the United States has made the biggest financial contribution among member states to the organization.”
Meanwhile, Svenja Schulze said the top priority of Germany, which took over the G7 presidency, is to end the pandemic worldwide.
He called for a massively accelerated global vaccination campaign in order to do so.
The event in Geneva kicks off a week of WHO Executive Board meetings where key aspects of the UN health agency's future are due to be discussed, including Tedros' bid for a second term and a proposal to make the agency more financially independent.
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