Expert Consultation on Public Health Law
Place: Manila, Philippines
Date: 5-6 May 2011
In February 2007 the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, organized the workshop on Public Health Law for Pacific Island Countries. The proceedings in the workshop acknowledged that public health law is a central component of every government's attempts to improve and promote health for its citizens. Legislation is a necessary part of a health protection framework that enables Member States to effectively detect, assess and appropriately respond to health threats.
The WPRO Secretariat is developing a tool that Member States could use to analyze their own legal status. An expert meeting is being convened which will serve as a venue for consultation and review of technical issues relating to public health law and the two pieces of work described above. The expert meeting will promote a more unified and harmonized approach by external partners in providing technical assistance to countries.
In order to promote a more unified and harmonized approach to external technical assistance in public health law the meeting objectives are:
- to develop the framework for a legal analysis tool;
- to conduct peer review of "Public Health Law in the Pacific; A Legislator's Companion; and
- to set direction on the next steps for WPRO to interact with partners and countries who would like to use either of the documents as a guide.