On 8 May, WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus delivered a speech at a media briefing via video link to mark the 40th anniversary of smallpox eradication, in which he called for global solidarity against COVID-19.

Dr. Tedros said that the eradication of smallpox serves as a reminder that only when people come together can they fight a common threat. Like smallpox, COVID-19 is a defining challenge for public health and a test of global solidarity. Meanwhile, it also presents an opportunity to change the trajectory of global health, to build a healthier, safer, fairer world for everyone, and to achieve "Health for All", a dream from the establishment of WHO.