UN, global health officials meet in South-east Asia to discuss security preparedness

After recent outbreaks of Ebola, Zika and yellow fever, senior health officials from the United Nations, Governments and other institutions are prioritizing global health security preparedness given ongoing concerns about national health systems that are weak, fragmented and under-funded.

“Fortifying health security in today’s world must be a key priority of governments, multilateral agencies, development banks, and non-government organizations the world over,” said Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director of the South-East Asia Region at the World Health Organization (WHO).

The UN agency brought together more than 250 participants from 52 countries for the three-day long high-level meeting on “Advancing Global Health Security: From Commitments to Actions” which ended on Wednesday in Bali, Indonesia.

The meeting is only the second high-level WHO meeting to focus on global health security.

It highlighted the critical importance of flexible preparedness planning, community strengthening and engagement, and information sharing, according to a statement.

Participants also discussed the critical role that Governments and technical partners play in financing and implementation.