South Korea-led 'UN Health Security Friends Group' High-Level Meeting... Discussing COVID-19 Response Policy Directions

Participating Countries Agree on Multilateralism-Based Response... Policy Priorities Should Focus on Establishing a Comprehensive Response System

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Member countries of the "UN Health Security Friends Group," led by the Korean government, held a high-level meeting on the 15th (local time) together with the co-chairs of the "Global Infectious Disease Preparedness Monitoring Group," composed of prominent figures in infectious disease response. They evaluated the response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from a health security perspective and discussed future policy directions.

The UN Health Security Friends Group was launched in May under the leadership of the Korean government to coordinate UN-level responses to health security issues such as COVID-19. Currently, 44 countries and the European Union (EU) participate as member states.

At this meeting, Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), and Elhadj As Sy, former Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), participated as co-chairs of the "Global Infectious Disease Preparedness Monitoring Group" and briefed the ambassadors of the Health Security Friends Group member countries.

Participants agreed that continuous investment in domestic and global health response systems, decisive and responsible leadership and citizen participation, strengthening social security systems such as universal health coverage, and multilateral responses based on partnerships with international financial institutions are essential to respond to and prepare for COVID-19 and future health security threats.

They particularly emphasized that governments and citizens must recognize that infectious diseases are not only health threats but can escalate into security threats due to their enormous social and economic ripple effects. They stressed the need to prioritize policies and investments to establish comprehensive response systems. Additionally, the importance of global multilateral responses was highlighted, including △ trust in government and voluntary citizen participation △ establishment of universal social security systems including vulnerable groups △ cooperation with organizations such as the World Bank in vaccine development and procurement.

In his closing remarks, Ambassador Cho Hyun to the UN stated, "We emphasized the importance of early warning, rapid information sharing, domestic response through citizen participation, and securing international vaccine supply chains based on multilateral solidarity. We will continue various activities to ensure that the 'Health Security Friends Group' can function as a leading platform for discussions on COVID-19 and future infectious disease spread responses."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.