Press Releases
Singapore hosts World Health Organization High-Level Panel Debate on International Health Security
2 April 2007
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02 Apr 2007
Singapore and the World Health Organization are pleased to jointly host a High-Level Panel Debate on "International Health Security" to commemorate World Health Day (WHD) 2007. Taking place on 2 April 2007 at the Suntec International Convention & Exhibition Centre, the event will feature a keynote address by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and a debate among a distinguished Panel of international experts, comprising:
Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General, WHO
Mr Jonas Store, Foreign Minister, Norway
Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Senior Minister of State for Information, Communication and the Arts, Singapore
Mr Philip Chen, CEO, Cathay Pacific
This will be the first WHD for newly elected Director-General Dr Margaret Chan, who is an alumnus of the National University of Singapore. More than 200 guests, including Health Ministers from Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam, as well as senior government officials and private sector leaders from the region, will be at the event.
The Debate theme of "International Health Security" aims at urging governments, organizations and businesses to "Invest in Health, Build a Safer Future". It will also be the theme for the World Health Report 2007. The Debate will focus on emerging international health security challenges, including avian and pandemic influenza outbreaks, HIV/AIDS, and humanitarian emergencies. Panellists will also discuss possible strategies to respond to such international health threats, and new modalities for partnerships within the international health community.
One of the key issues will be the World Health Organization's revised "International Health Regulations (2005) ", which will come into force on 15 June 2007. The Regulations will strengthen national and collective defenses against the international spread of diseases, while avoiding unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade. Singapore supports the Regulations and is committed to fight against disease, both within and beyond our borders.
World Health Day is celebrated annually on 7 April since 1950. It marks the founding of the World Health Organization and is an occasion to raise awareness of key global health issues