The regional office of WHO in Nicosia marks a new chapter for Cyprus, Minister of Health Neofytos Charalambides has said, addressing the inauguration ceremony of the new premises of the Office, while the WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge said that this office symbolises a shared vision of health and harnesses strategic positioning and geopolitical importance of Cyprus.
Speaking on 28 January, the Minister said that Cyprus remains fully committed to deepening its partnership with the World Health Organization, working together to advance public health and improve the health and well-being of our people.
He pointed out that today's inauguration marks a new chapter for Cyprus and reflects the strong and enduring partnership between our country and the World Health Organization.
Since its establishment in 1948, WHO has played a central role in promoting health, responding to emergencies, and protecting the most vulnerable, guided by its core objective of achieving the highest possible level of health for all, the Minister noted.
“Cyprus firmly believes that the World Health Organization must remain the cornerstone of global health governance and strongly supports ongoing reforms to enhance its effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability,” he stated.
Charalambides also welcomed the adoption of the Second European Program of Work, 2026-2030, which sets a clear and forward-looking agenda for healthier, fairer, and more resilient societies, addressing key priorities such as health security, non-communicable diseases, mental health, healthy aging, climate change, and digital health.
In addition, the Minister pointed out that Cyprus's Presidency of the Council of the European Union underscores the importance of close coordination at EU level on global health issues, including pandemic preparedness and response and the preparation for 2026 World Health Assembly.
He added that in an era of interconnected crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the vulnerabilities of the global health architecture and the critical need for collective action.
In response, he went on to say, Cyprus continues to invest in prevention, preparedness, and the resilience of its health system.
Charalambides noted that the general healthcare system, launched in 2019, established universal health coverage and ensured continuity of care including throughout the pandemic.
“The strengthened presence of the WHO in Cyprus enables us to draw on its extensive expertise, best practices, and scientific knowledge to further improve public health outcomes. The establishment of the WHO country office in Cyprus, following the 2023 agreement, has already delivered tangible results in health security, antimicrobial resistance, mental health especially, and the sustainability of healthcare reforms,” he said, adding that its full staffing and new premises in Nicosia would further enhance its effectiveness and its impact.
He concluded by saying that Cyprus remains fully committed to deepening its partnership with the World Health Organization, working together to advance public health and improve the health and well-being of our people.
The WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge said that it's really a great honour to be here today for this historic occasion, the inauguration of the WHO Country Office for Cyprus in Nicosia.
As he said, this office symbolises a shared vision of health and health security for Cyprus and beyond. This office harnesses strategic positioning and geopolitical importance, with Cyprus being at the crossroads of three continents, Europe, Africa, and the Eastern Mediterranean, he noted, stressing that the office underscores an outstanding inter-agency collaboration, but most importantly, this office is a testament to Cyprus' leadership in global health.
Referring to the Minister, he said that he has reaffirmed that health remains a top government priority.
Kluge said that since WHO was founded in 1948 the real difference WHO makes is at the local level, where health services are delivered and where lives are saved.
“Today, WHO has 153 country offices across the globe, of which 33 are in the WHO European region, ensuring they remain impactful and relevant. The Cyprus office, however, is unique, I must stress this, poised to serve as an emerging next-generation model with intra-border as well as cross-border and cross-continent focus. The goal is to enhance effectiveness and deliver meaningful impact,” he said.
Kluge went on to say that this new country office will be guided by the 14th General Programme of Work and the second WHO European Programme of Work, that is the strategic roadmap for the next five years, designed to have dynamic and agile country offices, closely embedded within Member States to provide tailored, rapid, impactful technical cooperation.
This country office specifically stands as a global exemplar for the WHO, strategically located at the nexus of Europe, Middle East, and Africa, he said, adding that Cyprus is a hub for improving and innovating cross-border health security and health resilience.
“Through this office, we will support transformative policy, laying the foundation for Cyprus' future health system. And Cyprus has much to be proud of. Life expectancy is among the highest in Europe, 81.7 years and 78% of citizens report being in good health,” he said pointing out that actually, this is exceptional.
“Cyprus' national healthcare system is designed to provide universal health coverage and equitable access to care, aligned with the priorities of the WHO European Programme of Work. Your health system places primary care at the very heart, for improved coverage and quality on one hand, while safeguarding the use of costly secondary and tertiary care to enhance the financial sustainability of the system on the other,” he said.
Referring to his visit earlier today to the Latsia Primary Health Care Centre and the new Athalassa Mental Health Hospital he said that he was very inspired. “Integrated generalist and specialist services at the community level on the one hand, and continuously improved secondary and tertiary high-quality care on the other hand. In both locations I saw such a dedicated health workforce,” he said.
Kluge also said that despite past achievements, our work is not done. “A number of challenges remain, reminding us that joint efforts at enhanced national health systems efficiency and improved financial sustainability must be maintained through investment and innovation across the health spectrum. Cyprus’ and WHO’s collaboration has catapulted progress, the mental health strategy a tool de force, National plans to combat anti-microbial resistance and strengthen infection prevention and control,” he said.
(Source: CNA)
