On February 21 and 22, a high-level convention on “Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in an Era of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Pandemics” was held in Tokyo, hosted by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the AMR Clinical Reference Center. Ms.YOSHIKAWA Yuumi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, attended the opening and delivered a speech.

This convention is a part of the Public Health Network Project beneath “Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Initiative for the Rapid Containment of Pandemic influenza” supported by Japan by ASEF.

In this convention, Mr. SHIOZAKI Yasuhisa, former Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, and roughly 60 public well being consultants from ASEM companions, worldwide organizations, personal firms and NGOs participated and mentioned the promotion of UHC from the attitude of infectious illness management measures that incorporate the AMR perspective.

Ms. Yoshikawa referred to the achievements so far of “ASEM Initiative for the Rapid Containment of Pandemic influenza”, together with Stockpiling Project which delivers stockpiled objects akin to provides for infectious illness management within the occasion of a pandemic, and the PHN Project which helps the preparedness to reply to public well being disaster. She acknowledged that Japan would take additional measures towards infectious illnesses in response to the pandemic of COVID-19. In addition, she famous that the significance of UHC has been reemphasized by the COVID-19 outbreak, and that particularly this 12 months Japan, because the chair of the G7, would take a result in obtain extra strong, equitable, and sustainable UHC, with a view to the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on UHC to be held in September this 12 months.

[Reference 1] Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) was based in 1997 in Singapore as a everlasting physique of Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). It engages in actions to boost mutual understanding between Asia and Europe with a concentrate on the socio-cultural area.

[Reference 2] “ASEM Initiative for the Rapid Containment of Pandemic influenza”

At the seventh ASEM Summit in October 2008, then Prime Minister Taro Aso introduced this initiative as a way to put together for Pandemic Influenza. Japan contributed roughly 32 million US {dollars} to ASEF. The initiative consists of two elements.

(1) Stockpiling of Antiviral Drugs and Personal Protective Equipment for Rapid Containment of Pandemic Influenza In this venture, antiviral medicine and private protecting gear are stockpiled and will likely be delivered to wherever mandatory inside and across the ASEM space in case of pandemic influenza to comprise it.

(2) ASEF Public Health Network

This venture strengthens preparedness of receiving nations, threat communications and community between Asia and Europe by workshops and coaching and help to construct a system as a way to make emergency operation simpler and extra profitable in case of public well being emergency.