Manila, 27 August 2009—Key health issues, including Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and the global financial crisis and its impact on health services in Asia and the Pacific, will be on the agenda when leading health policy-makers and representatives of the World Health Organization's Regional Committee for the Western Pacific meet in Hong Kong (China) from 21 to 25 September 2009.
The Regional Committee meets every year to review WHO's work with Member States and to set future directions to guide WHO's objectives and goals.
"WHO's mission—to work towards the attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health—has not changed, but the way in which we work to achieve our goals must continue to evolve," said Dr Shin Young-soo, WHO's Regional Director for the Western Pacific. "Our focus must be sharply attuned to the needs of our Member States and Country Offices. We are closely examining the way we work, streamlining programmes so that they work together in a more cross-cutting manner and improving communication and feedback across the Region."
Other health issues up for discussion by the Regional Committee include a review of WHO Member States' pandemic influenza preparedness and response plans, a health financing strategy for Asia and the Pacific, a new strategy to fight tobacco consumption and a malaria action plan.
Dr Shin will also deliver a progress report on five of WHO's technical programmes. These are communicable diseases and the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases and the International Health Regulations (2005); vaccine preventable diseases such as polio, measles and hepatitis B; HIV/AIDS, including sexually transmitted infections; the prevention and control of tuberculosis, particularly the increasing threat of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis; and noncommunicable diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, cancer, respiratory diseases and diabetes.
The Regional Committee is composed of representatives from the Western Pacific's 37 countries and areas. Representatives of countries and areas of the Region, including several ministers of health, as well as members of nongovernmental and intergovernmental organizations, will attend the meeting.
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