LIVE: Emmanuel Macron in Lyon to inaugurate the WHO campus

4:40 p.m., end of Emmanuel Macron’s speech with a thought for Mayotte:

Emmanuel Macron finished his speech at the WHO headquarters in Lyon around 4:40 p.m. He reiterated his desire to relocate the production of medicines and announced his upcoming departure for Mayottedevastated by Cyclone Chido.

“I prefer to have a company that produces paracetamol on my soil than to have to abandon everything abroad, which many of my predecessors had done.”

On Mayotte:

“At the moment when we are rejoicing here in Lyon about this academy, the worst is a few thousand kilometers away and I will go to their side in a few hours, in Mayotte.”

End of speech:

“Thank you everyone for making it possible. Long live the WHO. Long live Lyon, long live the Republic and long live France.”

4:15 p.m., Emmanuel Macron at the WHO: “health is a condition for peace in the world”:

The Head of State spoke:

“The health of all peoples is a fundamental condition for world peace. (…) We have gone through many ordeals together and some pandemics. We have memories that are still burning. We have seen conflicts return, we are wiping out the gusts of national regional withdrawals, blocks against blocks But if we are gathered here, it is precisely to say that we are holding on.”

He gave some figures to underline the importance of WHO campuses, such as the one in Lyon inaugurated this Tuesday:

“400,000 people will be trained in WHO national public health institutes from 2025 and 3 million by 2028.”

Note that Emmanuel Macron is not finished with this marathon day: according to the Prime Minister’s entourage, the new Prime Minister François Bayrou will see the president again this Tuesday evening. Probably to move forward the composition of the new government.

In the meantime, it’s also time for wishes and thanks:

“I hope that all of the best players in AI (artificial intelligence) will be fully associated with this academy. On the global health scene, I hope that we can continue our efforts to clarify the priorities and missions of everyone, so as to be as efficient as possible.”

“I want to thank the regional council and the Lyon town hall for their commitment, for this financial and political support.”

4 p.m., the speeches began:

Emmanuel Macron listens to the speech of WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus before speaking.

3:37 p.m., Emmanuel Macron visits the caregiver training room

One of the main purposes of this new campus is to train caregivers to the latest advances in health. Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by the prefect of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Fabienne Buccio, is currently visiting the room in which the students and nursing staff of the Hospices Civils de Lyon have just given a demonstration.

The mayor of Lyon Grégory Doucet and the president of the Métropole de Lyon Bruno Bernard are obviously also on site.

3:25 p.m., a simulation by medical students:

Students from the Lyon Sud Charles Mérieux medical faculty and members of the HCL (Hospices Civils de Lyon) participate in a simulation of the spread of a virus from a hospital ward in the WHO academy. They play the role of people contaminated by a virus invented for the exercise. In the images transmitted to the media, we can see doctors taking care of them and training as in real conditions.

Emmanuel Macron will visit this room in a few minutes.

The speech is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

3:08 p.m., inauguration of a plaque:

The Head of State has just inaugurated a plaque at the Lyon campus of the World Health Organization with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

If you are wondering who is Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus : he is an Ethiopian politician and academic born in 1965. Doctor in community health from the University of Nottingham, in the United Kingdom, he was several times minister in his country before being elected in 2017 then re-elected in 2022 at the head of the WHO.

He has led the WHO through several global health crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as epidemics like Ebola and monkeypox.

He is known for his commitment to reducing healthcare inequities globally.

3 p.m., Emmanuel Macron arrives at the scheduled time:

Emmanuel Macron arrived in Lyon, as planned, at 3 p.m. at the WHO campus, avenue Tony Garnier, this Tuesday, December 17, in Lyon, in the Gerland district.

Emmanuel Macron inaugurates the WHO campus

The President of the Republic is coming to inaugurate the new campus of the World Health Organization.

This movement causes disruptions to travel.

Avenue Tony Garnier and Avenue Jean Jaurès are blocked to traffic for several minutes while waiting for the arrival of Emmanuel Macron.

This inauguration confirms the importance of Lyon for global health. In September, the Head of State had already gone to Neuville-sur-Saône, near Lyon, to inaugurate a Sanofi site.