*Errors and omissions excepted (E&OE)
At the last Regional Committee for the Western Pacific, Member States overwhelmingly endorsed “For the Future”, our regional implementation plan for GPW13, as our shared commitment to prepare for the health challenges of a rapidly changing world.
At that time, few would have predicted how soon and how intensely we would be challenged, in the form of COVID-19.
Since January, governments and people in our Region have made unprecedented efforts and sacrifices to minimize the devastating consequences of this epidemic, save lives and protect the vulnerable. We are grateful that today there is no large-scale community transmission in the Western Pacific.
Each week, we have met with Member States, sharing the latest on the virus and effective approaches to tackle it. Countries in the Western Pacific have been applying the very principles upon which our shared vision was built:
- Standing together in solidarity: every country counts—from the biggest to the smallest, including the Pacific Island countries. Everyone is sharing and learning from one another;
- Reaching the unreached: putting communities at the centre and fostering home-grown solutions to minimize infection, care for the sick, and look out for the most vulnerable; and
- Leveraging every part of the health system and every health worker.
COVID-19 is an encounter with the future. We know others will come. These will include the health impacts of climate change, surging rates of noncommunicable diseases and rapidly ageing populations.
Our regional vision “For the Future” is more relevant than ever. So many people have suffered from COVID-19. I believe it is not just our responsibility to respond to COVID-19. Rather, we have an obligation to make our societies and health systems stronger and better prepared to face the challenges of tomorrow.