South Asian News Network

Kathmandu, Sept 26: Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has stated that multilateralism, equity, and solidarity must be placed at the core of global efforts on prevention, preparedness, and response to pandemics and public health emergencies. Addressing a high-level meeting on “Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response” held during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York earlier today, he emphasized the need to shift away from a reactive approach towards a culture of prevention. Minister Khanal noted that the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how a public health emergency originating in a single location could escalate into a global crisis. He further highlighted that the pandemic exposed deep-seated inequalities regarding access to healthcare services, vaccines, medicines, technology, and financial resources, according to the Foreign Minister’s secretariat. Nepal welcomes the World Health Organization Pandemic Agreement and the amended International Health Regulations as significant steps toward strengthening global pandemic preparedness. Minister Khanal outlined five priorities proposed by Nepal for global pandemic prevention and preparedness. Equity must be the foundation of global health security and sustainable financial resources for pandemic preparedness must be ensured. Multilateral cooperation with the World Health Organization at the center should be maintained and meaningful representation of developing countries should be ensured. Furthermore, communities should be placed at the heart of preparedness through whole-of-government, whole-of-society, and “one health” approaches, and making pandemic preparedness intergenerational by engaging youth as partners, innovators, and future leaders. Calling for increased investment in resilient health systems, skilled health workers, disease surveillance, early warning systems, research, and community-level preparedness, the Foreign Minister urged for cooperation to build a safe, equitable, and resilient world where no country or generation is left behind. —