Your Excellencies,

Honorable Minister,

Honorable Chair of the Parliamentary Committee,

Honorable Director General of the NCDC,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Colleagues and friends,

 

The day has come, when I have to say goodbye to you and to this beautiful country in which I have spent almost three years as a WHO Representative.

In a way Slovenians are similar to Georgians; proud of being a citizen of a rather small country with long and rich history, culture, tradition. On a personal note my roots tend to be as deep as roots of a grown-up tree. Consequently moving me from one place to another is not an easy task. Not all trees survive and flourish in the new place. However I was put to the best possible place and I was welcomed by Georgia as a son of its own.

Now it is the time to thank you for that.

 

Indeed I was extremely privileged to walk part of my professional way together with you, and thus continue the work done by my predecessors. Excellent partnership between Georgia and WHO actually started many years ago.

The role of Georgia within WHO has always been highly visible and important. So was the work we – the organization and the country did together. For almost three years I was enabled to contribute to the long lasting and fruitful collaboration. Overall it sounds like a short period of time, but what a period of time this has been!

I could start listing all the achievements to which WHO Country team together with colleagues from the regional office and headquarters contributed to. I could list many of the challenges we addressed together, let it be from the recent measles outbreak, or HIV, hepatitis C elimination or TB; tobacco-control, emergency preparedness, of ultimately health system strengthening as a core element of the Universal Health Coverage. All of them very well match the WHO’s 13^th General Programme of Work that has been endorsed by the 71st World Health Assembly:

Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages by:

• Achieving universal health coverage – 1 billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage
• Addressing health emergencies – 1 billion more people better protected from health emergencies
• Promoting healthier populations – 1 billion more people enjoying better health and well-being

 

I have been privileged to witness great progress in those areas, achieved by Georgian authorities led by you.

My sincere congratulations.

 

As of Monday, 1 April, my colleague, Dr Silviu Domente (domentes@who.int) is taking over the position of the WHO Representative and Head of WHO Country Office in Georgia. For sure he will continue great collaboration between WHO and Georgia and put it even at the higher level.

 

I can feel excitement of moving to another country, to begin new chapter in my career. On the other hand I also feel sadness, as I am leaving the country that accepted me as its own son, and as my roots sprouted deeply in the promising Caucasus soil.

 

Let the new day bring peace, prosperity and happiness to you personally and to this beautiful country,

 

გმადლობ,

 

 

 

Marijan Ivanusa

WHO Representative &

Head of WHO Country Office

 

Hadzi Melentijeva 30

11000 Belgrade, Serbia

Phone: +381 11 2432 572

Mobile: +381 63 530 994

Email: ivanusam@who.int

Skype: who-ivanusam

GPN: 74211

Web: www.euro.who.int