Taiwan, US, Japan, Australia stage GCTF workshop alongside 76th WHA in Geneva

2023/05/26

A workshop promoting pandemic preparedness was staged by Taiwan, the U.S., Japan and Australia May 23 in Geneva on the sidelines of the 76th World Health Assembly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
 
Titled “Workshop on Post-COVID-19 Era: An Opportunity to Build Sustainable Preparedness for and Response to the Next Pandemic,” the event was the first held by the four countries under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework alongside the WHA, the MOFA said, adding that attendees exchanged views and discussed ways to expand global partnership to ensure the health of all people around the world.
 
During his opening remarks, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan said no country was immune to the unprecedented impact of COVID-19. The World Health Organization’s Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats initiative is a salient reminder that the world needs to work together to enhance disease resilience, he added.
 
The global public health network relies on the participation and cooperation of all members of the international community, Hsueh said, adding that the GCTF workshop will help bolster collaboration.
 
Echoing Hsueh’s speech, Loyce Pace, assistant secretary for global affairs under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said the world must learn from COVID-19 to prepare for the next pandemic.
 
In addition to current medical monitoring and data analysis systems, it is essential to continue developing new disease management tools, she said, stressing the importance of working with partners like Taiwan through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms such as GCTF.
 
According to the MOFA, more than 30 officials and medical professionals from 10 like-minded partner countries including the Czech Republic, Germany and Sweden took part in the workshop.
 
Participants included Michele Sison, U.S. assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs; John F. Vertefeuille, director of the Global Immunization Division at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control; Lucas de Toca, first assistant secretary for the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care; and Norio Ohmagari, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases under Japan’s Disease Control and Prevention Center. 


Fuente: Noticias de Taiwan (https://noticias.nat.gov.tw/)