Margaret Chan

“Climate change is the defining issue for the 21st century.”

“The problem is not that we have too little time to do all the things we need to do, it is that we feel the need to do all of these things in the time we have.”

“The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them.”

“Investment in AIDS will be repaid a thousand-fold in lives saved and communities held together.”

“The world is ill-prepared to respond to a severe pandemic.”

“A world that is out of balance is an unhealthy world.”

“Any country that has a preparedness plan and has tested it, we have found that they are better off.”

“Health is not a commodity to be bought and sold. It is a fundamental human right.”

“In an era of global travel and trade, a threat in one part of the world is a threat to all.”

“Public health is a political choice.”

“What gets measured gets done.”

“Antimicrobial resistance is a global health crisis.”

“The entry point to universal health coverage is primary health care.”

“We must ensure that the benefits of modern medicine are available to all, not just a privileged few.”

“For the first time in human history, we have the capacity to save every woman and child from preventable death.”