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REMARKS BY:	DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:		Public Radio International  Breakfast Forum To Introduce Dr. Gro Brundtland,	          
         		Washington, D.C.
DATE:		October 29, 1998

Declaring a Public Health D-Day

Steven Spielberg's movie, Saving Private Ryan, had many of us thinking this summer about the heroes of World War II. But not all the heroics of that time were on the battlefield. Millions of Americans can still remember huddling around their crackling radios waiting to hear Edward R. Murrow say, "This - is London." Murrow's dispatches were a window on a terrible conflict. But he did more than explain the war. He used radio to unite a nation and give the world courage to fight on.

The world we live in now is a smaller but even more complicated place than it was during the dark days of the Second World War. So we still need strong voices - like Public Radio International - to bring history to our ears from cities and towns around the globe.

Much of today's history is about battlefields that didn't even exist when Murrow was reporting from the frontlines. We are engaged in a great human drama that will test our ability to survive in the 21st century. Sometimes we must defend ourselves against nature. I'm talking about emerging infectious diseases. Infant mortality. Hunger. And chronic diseases of old age. Other times we must fight to protect nature - from environmental degradation and over development.

Great reporters - whether radio, TV or print - can teach us about these modern foes. About the countries they're attacking. The victims they're claiming. And the fighters and heroes that are battling back.

One of those fighters and heroes is Dr. Gro Brundtland.

I've had the pleasure of introducing Dr. Brundtland several times recently. This is ironic. An extraordinary leader in public health, Gro Brundtland needs no introduction. Even before becoming Director-General of the World Health Organization, she was already a well known - and much admired - actor on the world stage. She led a wonderful and important country, Norway. For most people that would have been challenge enough. But not for Dr. Brundtland. She wanted to lead global attack against disease and deprivation.

I'm not talking about some defensive holding action, or a small-bore assault on the margins. That's not Gro Brundtland's style. She's declared a public health D-Day - and called on the nations of the world to join the World Health Organization in storming the beaches against the major killers of our day.

For that mission she has a strong and willing ally in the Clinton Administration - including Dr. Harold Varmus, who as leader of the National Institutes of Health, is broadening our international activities and commitments; our great Surgeon General - Dr. David Satcher - who is establishing close ties with public health officials in Africa and the developing world; our new CDC director, Jeff Koplan, whose extensive international contacts will bring new partnerships to the World Health Organization; and our new director of the Food and Drug Administration - Dr. Jane Henny.

Dr. Brundtland - wherever you hit the beaches, our team will be right there at your side. We agree with you that the time has come for an international response to the worldwide killer, tobacco. If current trends continue, 250 million children alive in the world today will eventually die from tobacco related diseases. We're looking forward to working with the World Health Organization to fight this global epidemic, and the place to start is here at home.

President Clinton remains unrelenting in his determination to protect children from the deadly addiction of tobacco. We'll fight in the halls of Congress. We'll fight in the courts. And we'll fight in international bodies like the UN, remembering, always, Churchill's admonition to never, never, never give up.

Tobacco is just one public health fight. The battle is also joined to improve the health prospects of adolescent girls and young women everywhere in the world. To expand worldwide access to immunizations. To eliminate violence in the home. To beat AIDS, TB and other emerging infectious diseases like Hanta Virus - every one an international killer. And to forge global partnerships - and reach a global audience - with a message of disease prevention and health promotion.

That's a message we believe in our hearts - and must be carried to homes on every continent.

But belief in the cause is only the first step on any road to victory. There also has to be commitment, teamwork, and - yes - sometimes even toil and tears. And one thing more. As Edward R. Murrow knew from watching Roosevelt and Churchill, great leaders are needed to win great battles.

That's exactly what we have in Gro Brundtland.

A great leader. A warrior for Public Health. And I'm proud to say a friend and colleague. Dr. Gro Brundtland .

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