Aissatou Toure, COHRED – Discours lors de la cérémonie d’ouverture
Bamako 2008 – Forum ministériel mondial sur la recherche pour la santé

Votre Excellence Amadou Toumani Touré, Président du Mali,
Dr Margaret Chan, Directeur-Général, Organisation mondiale de la santé, Genève,
Dr Walter Erdelen, Directeur-Général adjoint pour les sciences naturelles, UNESCO,
Mme Joy Phumaphi, Vice-présidente, Réseau du développement humain de la Banque mondiale,
Dr Gill Samuels, Présidente, Forum mondial de recherche pour la santé,
Honorés invités,
Mesdames, Messieurs,

Introduction
Au nom du Conseil de la Recherche en Santé pour le Développement (COHRED), je souhaite exprimer notre gratitude au gouvernement malien, qui accueille cet important Forum ministériel sur la recherche pour la santé. C’est pour moi un plaisir et un privilège que de prononcer ce discours au nom de Mme Marian Jacobs, présidente du Conseil du COHRED.
COHRED est actif depuis plus de quinze ans dans le domaine de la recherche pour la santé. Nous nous concentrons sur la recherche nationale essentielle pour la santé et, aujourd’hui encore, sur les systèmes de recherche nécessaires afin de soutenir la recherche en santé au niveau national. COHRED a été l’initiateur de la Conférence internationale sur la recherche en santé pour le développement qui a eu lieu à Bangkok en 2000.
Nous voyons maintenant avec plaisir combien l’intérêt pour la recherche en santé s’est accru au fil des ans et nous pouvons constater que bien plus nombreux sont aujourd’hui les acteurs issus de différents secteurs qui se sont engagés à faire avancer les choses et à veiller à ce que la recherche pour la santé entraîne vraiment une réduction des inégalités sanitaires et qu’elle contribue réellement au développement national.
Cette année, trente ans après la conférence d’Alma-Ata sur les soins de santé primaires, l’OMS a publié son Rapport sur la santé dans le monde 2008, intitulé « Les soins de santé primaires, maintenant plus que jamais ». Quant à la Commission des déterminants sociaux de la santé, elle a publié son rapport final il y a trois mois.
Ces rapports et ces mouvements présentent nettement une philosophie, des valeurs et des principes communs. Ils défendent une approche pluridisciplinaire de la santé et du bien-être. Ils plaident en faveur de l’inclusivité, de la participation des acteurs locaux et d’un engagement transsectoriel, pour une meilleure santé pour tous.
Mesdames, Messieurs, la recherche est une stratégie essentielle qui peut nous aider à atteindre l'objectif de la santé pour tous de différentes façons:
• en fournissant de nouveaux produits et médicaments encore meilleurs,
• en élaborant des politiques de santé qui soient actuelles et mieux pensées,
• et en apportant aux patients les connaissances nécessaires pour prendre de bonnes décisions à propos de leur santé.
Cette conférence se penchera sur les grands défis que rencontre la recherche en matière de santé. Notre attention se portera également sur la manière dont il faut organiser la recherche, la mener et la gérer afin de relever ces défis.
Dr Chan, nous vous adressons nos félicitations, à vous-même et à votre équipe, pour avoir ramené l’esprit d’Alma Ata, à savoir l’importance des soins de santé primaires, au centre de l’effort mondial pour la santé. Nos félicitations aussi pour avoir souligné dans le rapport de cette année sur la santé dans le monde le bienfait de l’amélioration des performances des systèmes de santé: il s’agit d’une stratégie vitale lorsqu’on vise une meilleure santé des populations.

L’opinion de COHRED sur la recherche pour la santé
Du point de vue de COHRED (le Conseil de la Recherche en Santé pour le Développement), trois stratégies sont essentielles pour passer du concept de « recherche en santé » à celui de « recherche pour la santé »:
• la première stratégie consiste à adopter un point de vue tenant compte des systèmes en matière de recherche pour la santé;
• la deuxième stratégie consiste à garantir l’alignement sur les besoins et priorités nationaux ainsi que l’harmonisation des initiatives nationales et internationales;
• la troisième stratégie consiste enfin à engager dans la recherche pour la santé tous les secteurs et acteurs, en particulier les organisations de la société civile.
J’aimerais vous exposer plus en détail ces différents points.
Adopter un point de vue tenant compte des systèmes de recherche en santé permet de poser les fondements nécessaires pour une gouvernance nationale efficace en matière de recherche. Une optique qui tient compte des systèmes clarifie les rôles et responsabilités du pays dans la coordination de la recherche, elle développe les politiques nécessaires et aide à définir le programme de recherche national.

Une fois ces fondements en place,
• les gouvernements sont mieux à même d’exiger des connaissances et des preuves particulières sur lesquelles fonder leurs décisions politiques et pour coordonner les efforts de recherche dans leurs pays;
• les chercheurs peuvent répondre aux besoins en recherche identifiés dans leur pays et aider à combler les lacunes existantes en matière de connaissances;
• les partenaires de la recherche peuvent affecter leurs ressources au financement de programmes nationaux de recherche qui soutiennent le développement; et
• les organisations de la société civile peuvent véritablement s’engager dans un dialogue avec les principaux acteurs afin que la recherche pour la santé intéresse tous les groupes de la société.
La population, quant à elle, doit toujours être placée au centre de notre travail. Elle tirera bénéfice d’un système de recherche en santé bien gouverné, qui comporte de bonnes lois et politiques qui promeuvent une recherche éthique et respectant l’autonomie, la dignité et les droits des personnes impliquées. Un système de recherche en santé bien gouverné inspire à la population une plus grande confiance en la recherche.
Ceci m’amène à l’alignement et à l’harmonisation, la deuxième stratégie principale à être débattue lors de cette réunion.
Il est vrai que les pays à faible revenu ou à revenu intermédiaire consacrent d’importantes ressources nationales à la recherche en santé, en particulier dans les domaines de l’infrastructure et du financement des salaires. Mais une grande partie du financement des projets de recherche provient toujours de sources internationales.
L’influence de ces sources internationales est importante, tout comme leur capacité à influencer les programmes nationaux, au risque peut-être de les dénaturer. L’alignement, défendu par la Déclaration de Paris sur l’efficacité de l’aide, est l’une des manières d’obtenir que le financement de la recherche se concentre sur les priorités nationales. La pratique active de l’harmonisation allège la charge administrative pour les pays et les pressions exercées pour la présentation de rapports complexes aux nombreuses agences donatrices qui soutiennent leur recherche.
COHRED et un certain nombre de partenaires ont récemment mené une étude sur l’alignement et l'harmonisation de l’aide dans la recherche pour la santé (AHA) qui a examiné comment appliquer au mieux les principes de la Déclaration de Paris à la recherche en santé.
Cinq pays africains et huit pays donateurs ont été impliqués dans l’étude. Certains participants se trouvent d’ailleurs aujourd’hui parmi nous.
L’étude a mis en évidence le fait qu’aucun des cinq pays africains en question ne disposait d’un système de recherche en santé pleinement opérationnel, dont les programmes de recherche, les priorités et les politiques soient bien établis, ni de stratégies stables pour le financement de la recherche. Elle soulève aussi le probléme que,  pour ces cinq pays africains, les donateurs extérieurs représentent au moins 90% du financement disponible pour la recherche en santé. Nous espérons que le Forum ministériel fera progresser le débat cette semaine et qu’on y étudiera comment parvenir à des approches bénéfiques pour toutes les parties en matière de financement de la recherche en santé.
Mesdames, Messieurs, mon troisième message important de ce jour porte sur le caractère inclusif et sur l’engagement. L'objectif final de la recherche pour la santé, nous l’avons dit, est une meilleure santé pour tous. Mais pour y arriver, il faut la participation de tous les acteurs issus des différents secteurs et disciplines. Des acteurs importants du paysage de la recherche pour la santé, pourtant souvent oubliés, sont les organisations qui représentent les intérêts de certains groupes de la société, à savoir les organisations de la société civile. Elles sont essentielles pour réaliser le potentiel de la recherche pour la santé. Ces organisations jouent, en effet, un rôle important en ajoutant de la valeur à la recherche pour la santé, et ce de diverses manières:
• Les organisations de la société civile initient, gèrent et animent des études qui englobent la santé au sens large, y compris les déterminants de la santé et les inégalités relatives à la santé;
• Elles peuvent demander des comptes à tous les acteurs sur les engagements qu’ils ont pris en matière de recherche pour la santé;
Il est important de reconnaître que les organisations de la société civile peuvent améliorer la qualité, la portée et l’utilité de la recherche pour la santé. Elles permettent en outre la construction de partenariats avec et par les organisations de la société civile autour des préoccupations communes sur les priorités nationales et mondiales.

Mesdames, Messieurs, honorés membres du panel,
Nous attendons beaucoup de ce Forum ministériel.
Les participants à cette réunion représentent un large éventail de secteurs et d’acteurs, y compris les agences internationales de financement et les organisations de la société civile. Et, pour la première fois, cette réunion voit plus loin que ceux qui sont directement impliqués dans la santé: elle compte également des collègues venant des secteurs gouvernementaux des sciences et de la technologie.
Il est révélateur que des leaders en recherche médicale pour le développement et des ministres de la santé, des sciences et de la technologie soient venus du monde entier pour se retrouver en un même lieu pendant les trois jours qui viennent.
Une réelle interaction entre ces différents groupes: voilà ce dont nous souhaitons être témoins.
Les différents points évoqués ont soulevé bon nombre de débats et éveillé bien de l’intérêt au cours des mois de préparatifs qui ont précédé cette réunion.
Nous exprimons le souhait qu’à l’occasion de ce Forum, chacun de nous se fixe comme objectif d'aller au-delà des discussions. Nous devons définir des points d’action réalisables visant une meilleure recherche pour la santé, des points d’action à partir desquels les ministres, les chercheurs, les organisations de la société civile et les institutions de financement pourront agir au cours des années à venir.

À tous, je vous souhaite une fructueuse et intéressante conférence Bamako 2008.

Aissatou Toure, COHRED – Opening Ceremony Remarks
Bamako 2008 – Global Ministerial Forum no research for Health

Your Excellency Amadou Toumani Touré, President of Mali;
Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organization, Geneva;
Dr. Walter Erdelen, Assistant Director-General, Natural Sciences Sector, UNESCO;
Ms. Joy Phumaphi, Vice-President, Human Development Network at the World Bank;
Dr. Gill Samuels, Chair, Global Forum for Health Research;
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction
On behalf of the Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED) I would like to express our gratitude to the Malian government for hosting this important Ministerial Forum on Research for Health. It is a pleasure and privilege to represent the COHRED Board on this platform and to deliver this speech on behalf of Marian Jacobs, our Chair.
For over 15 years COHRED has been active in the field of research for health. Our focus has been on Essential National Health Research and, today on, the research systems needed to strengthen research for health and development at the country level. COHRED was the initiator of the Bangkok 2000 International Conference on Health Research for Development, and we are privileged to co-host today’s Ministerial Forum.
It has been heartening to observe how the interest in research for health has expanded over the years, and how the scope of interest has broadened to include many more individuals and sectors. All these interested parties are committed to making a difference, especially in ensuring that research for health indeed leads to reducing inequities in health and thereby contributes to the overall development of countries.
We are meeting at an interesting time in the history of health for development, for this year we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Declaration of Alma Ata – a milestone event which set the foundation principles for social justice in health.
In commemoration of that event, WHO has just issued its 2008 World Health Report on Primary Health Care. Three months ago the Commission on Social Determinants of Health also published its final report.
These reports are underpinned by a common philosophy and set of values on health: They stand for a holistic view of health and well-being. They  argue for inclusiveness, ownership, and requirement for wide intersectoral action to achieve  better health for all.
They also provide a context for health research for development, within which research is located as a core strategy that can help us achieve the goal of health for all.
Research can do this by:
• Promoting and understanding of health, its determinants and its impact on society and equity
• Developing new and better interventions to prevent and address ill-health
• Informing the development of new health policies and contributing to improvement of existing policies; and
• Providing the evidence-base for decision making at a personal, clinical, public health and policy level.
This conference will look at the major health challenges that need to be addressed through research, and  at how research needs to be organised, led and managed to address these challenges. COHRED is privileged to be integrally involved in those actions – especially at country level.
Dr Chan, our congratulations to you and your team for bringing the spirit of Alma Ata – the importance of primary health care – back to the core of the global health effort. And for stressing in this year’s World Health Report the importance of improving the performance of health systems as a key strategy for achieving improved population health.

COHRED’s views on research for health
From the perspective of COHRED – the Council on Health Research for Development –    there are three key strategies that are crucial for moving from health research to research for health:
• Firstly – taking a systems perspective to research for health
• Secondly – ensuring alignment between national needs and priorities and harmonisation of national and international initiatives
• Thirdly – Engaging all sectors and stakeholders –  especially civil society organisations –  in research for health.
I would like to discuss these points for you in greater  detail.
Taking a systems view of research for health helps develop the foundations that countries need for strong research governance. A system perspective clarifies a country’s roles and responsibilities in research coordination,  it develops the  necessary policies and helps define the national agenda for research.

With these foundations in place :
• Governments are better placed to demand specific knowledge and evidence as a basis for their policy decisions, and to coordinate research efforts in their country.
• Researchers can respond to their country’s identified research needs, and help fill existing knowledge gaps.
• Research sponsors can direct their resources to support national agendas for research that supports development.
• Civil Society Organisations can become truly enagaged in making research for health relevant to all groups in society –  in dialogue with key stakeholders.
The population must always be at the center of our work.  And people will benefit from a well-governed research system, that has good policies and laws that  promote ethical research that respectsthe autonomy, dignity and rights of those  involved. A well-governed research system will inspire  the population’s confidence in research.

This brings me to alignment and harmonisation – the second key strategy to be discussed at this meeting.
It is true that  an increasing number of low and middle income countries contribute substantial national resources to funding research for health – especially in the areas of  infrastructure and salary support. But much of the research project funding still comes from international sources.
The influence of these international sources is substantial, as is their potential to influence – and possibly distort – national agendas. Alignment, as advocated through the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, is one way of  ensuring that research funding focuses on national priorities. Actively practicing harmonisaton  reduces the significant administrative burden and complex reporting pressures that countries have in  dealing with many donor agencies that support their research.
COHRED, and a number of  partners, recently conducted a study on Alignment and Harmonisation in research for health. The ‘AHA’ study examined how the Paris Declaration principles can best be applied to Research for Health. Five African countries and 8 donor countries were involved in the study – and I know that some of you that were involved are here in this room.
The study found that none of the five African countries involved in the study had a fully operational health research system with clear  agendas, priorities,policies, or  research financing strategies. It also found that External donors represent  90% or more of the funding available for health research in the five African countries.
It is our hope that this week’s Ministerial Forum will take this discussion a step further. And will look at how to arrive at  mutually beneficial  funding approaches to  research for health.
Ladies and Gentlemen. Inclusiveness and engagement is my third key message today. The ultimate aim of research for health is better health for all. Achieving this requires the  involvement of all stakeholders, from different sectors and disciplines. A key, and often neglected, actor in the research for health picture are organisations that represent the interests of specific groups in society – civil society organisations. They are essential in realising the potential of research for health. These organisations play an important role in adding value to research for health in a number of ways, for example by:
• Driving, participating in and conducting research that embraces health in its broadest sense, including the determinants of health and health-related inequities; and
• by holding all stakeholders accountable for the commitments they make towards research for health;
It is important that we recognise that civil society organisations can improve the quality, focus and relevance of research for health. And that partnerships are build with and by CSO’s around common concerns on national and global priorities.

Ladies and Gentlemen, distinguished panel members.
Our expectations for the Ministerial Forum are high.
The participants in this meeting represent a wide range of sectors and  stakeholders –  including international funding agencies, civil society organisations. And for the first time, this meeting looks beyond those involved directly in health to embrace colleagues from governments’ science and technology sectors.
It is significant that many of the world’s leaders in health research for development and Ministers of Health, Science and Technology are under one roof for the next three days.
Our wish is to see real interaction between these groups.
In the past months’ preparations for this meeting we have seen much discussion and interest in the points I have evoked today.
Our hope and expectation is that all of us at this Forum set themselves the goal of going beyond discussions. We should define achievable action points for improved research for health. That Ministers, researchers, civil society organisations and funding institutions can act upon in the years to come.
I wish you all a fruitful and intereresting Bamako 2008.      

Gill Samuels, Chair, Global Forum for Health Research
Opening Ceremony Remarks
Bamako 2008 – Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health

Your Excellency Monsieur Touré President of Mali, honourable ministers and representatives of government, colleagues and friends in research for health, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
I would like to thank the Government of Mali for hosting this meeting, and for the warm welcome given to us this morning.
It is good to see how many people have surmounted both expected and unexpected travel challenges to attend this important meeting. I share your experiences. My suitcase, last seen at 8 o’clock on Thursday morning, was pronounced missing in action, only to reappear very early this Sunday morning, to my profound relief and delight, and the relief and delight of my colleagues, who had visions of a somewhat dishevelled chair appearing on the platform this morning.
2008 is a year of anniversaries. It is 60 years since the establishment of the World Health Organization and the adoption in 1948 of its ground-breaking constitution, which defined health in a broad and comprehensive way (“not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”) and framed health as a fundamental human right.
It is 30 years since the Alma-Ata Declaration launched the movement for primary health care and the aspiration of “Health for All by the Year 2000”.
 And it is 10 years since the Global Forum for Health Research was established in 1998, drawing attention to the imbalance symbolized by the expression “10/90 gap” – an imbalance in the global application of research resources to address the health needs of poor and disadvantaged populations.
This unique and independent international organization is committed to demonstrating the essential role of research and innovation for health equity, benefitting poor and marginalized populations. We have strongly promoted the widening of attention to include the entire spectrum of research for health. Our focus is not just the health research and development spectrum involving biomedical research and development and areas such as health policy and systems research, behavioural and social sciences and operational research. It also includes research encompassing biological, economic, environmental, political, social and other determinants of health, with a particular emphasis on research to enhance health equity.
Over the course of several decades the world has accumulated a substantial array of targets, commitments and aspirations relating to resources for development and health in general and for research overall and health research in particular.
These targets, commitments and aspirations matter – because the lives and well-being of billions of people depend on the actions of policy-makers who determine how and where funds are used, globally and nationally, which sectors, policies and programmes receive support and whether they are effective.
We have three aspirations for this meeting:
(1)  That the call to action developed here results in us working together in partnership to develop an actionable agenda -- what can we reasonably expect to achieve. That this agenda encompasses evidence-informed policies, and delineates what research is needed to apply these policies.
(2) I anticipate that an actionable agenda will result in workplans which identify missing partners and the critical research path, avoiding sometimes intriguing diversions.
(3) Furthermore, I anticipate that the critical path will be implemented in a way that allows priority interventions to be identified, shared and scaled, and that barriers to success are also identified and managed.
To finish with a question:  we have spoken (will speak) about the progress since Mexico. What will be our legacy from this meeting in Bamako? Will THIS meeting, so long in planning, enable the future for the often poor and frequently neglected populations? Will it bring about sustainable and beneficial changes in policy, practice, outcomes and impact?
I am sure you agree that the quality and impact of our research and implementation will be judged by the beneficial changes it brings about in the health of the poorest people in the community.
BECAUSE HEALTH EQUITY IS A PRIORITY

Opening remarks at the Global Ministerial
Forum on Research for Health
Bamako, Mali, 17 November 2008

Your Excellency, the President of Mali, honourable ministers, colleagues and partners in health development, ladies and gentlemen,

First and foremost, let me thank the government of Mali for hosting this global ministerial forum. In the coming days, you will be building on the momentum for health research launched at previous events, in Bangkok and Mexico City, and giving this momentum new direction.

Let me acknowledge, too, the tremendous amount of work undertaken to prepare for this forum, including work done in five regional meetings.

The Bamako Call to Action is an eagerly awaited outcome of this meeting. I find it most appropriate that this Call to Action gives particular attention to the pressing health needs in Africa, and the capacity of research to address these needs.

I also find it appropriate that this high-level forum, aimed at strengthening research for health, development, and equity, is held in Mali. This country has more than its fair share of pressing health needs, many of which are linked to poverty, and reinforce poverty.

But Mali has an asset. This, Mr President, is a government policy that makes equitable access to health care a national ambition, supported by a strong grassroots demand for quality care, close to homes. In my view, the decision, made in the 1990s, to revitalize primary health care put this country’s quest for equitable health care on the right track.

This year’s World Health Report, on primary health care, sets out evidence that supports an especially relevant conclusion: meeting the public’s rising expectations for health is a marker of good government and a solid route to stability and prosperity.

The World Health Report singles out Mali’s progress towards universal health coverage as an example of what can be achieved when policy engages community participation, especially of women, and uses health as an entry-point for wider community development.

Above all, health policy in this country has been strongly guided, and constantly fine-tuned, by evidence generated during numerous internal and external evaluations, pilot studies, and research projects.

This is what we need for health development and equity – everywhere.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me go straight to the point.  We need health research, and the right kind of research, now more than ever before.

We are in the midst of the most ambitious effort in history to alleviate poverty, spread the benefits of modern society, and reduce the great gaps in health outcomes.

We also face a fuel crisis, a food crisis, a severe global financial crisis, and a climate that has already begun to change in ominous ways. All of these crises have global causes and global consequences that affect health in profound, and profoundly unfair, ways.

We have been in this situation before. The oil crisis, global recession, and debt crisis that followed the Declaration of Alma-Ata thirty years ago led to structural adjustment programmes that shifted budgets away from the social sectors, including health. Health care in large parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America has still not recovered from the consequences of these mistakes.

I am firmly convinced that the health sector has a better chance of weathering the crises we face today. The health sector is not like that famous raft on an open sea, tossed around by forces of winds and waves beyond our control.

Research gives us the dynamic power to overcome these forces. We have the scientific method on our side. And we have developed some convincing evidence and arguments as a result. But as I stated, we need more of the right kind of research, and now more than ever.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Since the start of this century, WHO and its member states have benefitted from the reports of three high-level commissions.

In 2001, the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health recast the economic significance of health development. Health is not merely a drain on economic resources. It is a producer of economic gains. With this report, the long hard climb to make health an international priority reached a peak.

In 2006, the Commission on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights recast the responsibilities of the health sector. Health has a responsibility to tackle issues, including those driven by commercial interests and market forces, that affect access to essential medicines and influence the products of R&D.

In matters of health, equitable access to care really is a matter of life or death. When equity is at stake, the health sector must take on a proactive role, even if this means stepping into territories outside the usual domain of public health.

In August of this year, the Commission on Social Determinants of Health recast the engagement of the health sector. The striking gaps in health outcomes are its main concern, and greater equity is the objective. 

As the report argues, factors residing in the social environment – like poverty, poor housing, lack of jobs and educational opportunities – are the true root causes of ill health.

The report challenges governments to make equitable health outcomes an explicit policy objective in all government policies. Political decisions ultimately determine how economies are managed, how societies are structured, and whether vulnerable and deprived groups receive social protection.

Gaps in health outcomes are not matters of fate. They are markers of policy failure.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In the short span of seven years, evidence has been used to recast the economic significance, responsibilities, and engagement of the health sector in significant ways.

Of the three commissions, the one on social determinants of health provides the greatest challenge to health policy and systems research. Arguably, it also promises the greatest rewards.

The challenge is enormous: to persuade political leaders to include health in the policies of all government ministries and departments. This is the best route to equity, and the best chance to prevent the causes of ill health at their source.

But let us be frank. In most countries, an appeal to health equity will not be sufficient to gain high-level political commitment. It will not be enough to persuade other sectors to take health impacts into account in all policies. We must have evidence, and we need the right kind of evidence.

This is not easy, but it can be done. Let me give two examples.

This year, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on public health, innovation and intellectual property. The resolution, which is linked to the 2006 Commission, demonstrates that international agreements that affect the global trading system can indeed be shaped in ways that favour health.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control provides a second example. That story began, of course, with overwhelming scientific and medical evidence about the harm caused by tobacco use.

But even that overwhelming evidence was not sufficient to persuade high-level political action. Evidence from multiple other sectors was needed to convince ministers of finance, commerce, trade, and agriculture, to convince business interests ranging from restaurants and bars to airlines.

Implementation of the Convention also goes well beyond the domain of the health sector. Measures such as tax increases, bans on advertising and smoking in public places, warnings on packages, and limits on sales require support from a host of ministries, backed by legislation and enforcement.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We have many urgent reasons for taking the health research agenda forward with great haste.

We need to see health included in all policies, and we need research to make the case. We need research to guide health system reforms, as we have seen here in Mali. We need operational research to help give existing interventions a greater impact. 

Above all, we need research to persuade the world that investments in health must continue as one of the surest – and best proven – routes to a stable and prosperous global society.

This is the challenging, but vastly rewarding task before you.  I wish you a most productive meeting.

Thank you.