Pakistani PM calls for deepening int'l cooperation to ensure global health security

Photo released by Pakistan's Press Information Department (PID) on Jan. 10, 2024 shows Pakistani caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar (Front) addressing an inaugural session of the two-day Global Health Security Summit in Islamabad, Pakistan. Kakar on Wednesday called for enhanced international cooperation to guarantee global health security. (PID/Handout via Xinhua)

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar on Wednesday called for enhanced international cooperation to guarantee global health security.

"Our commitment towards health security should extend to establishing global frameworks that facilitate information sharing, joint research, and collaborative strategies for an effective response during emergencies," Kakar said while addressing an inaugural session of the two-day Global Health Security Summit here.

The prime minister stressed the need to explore mechanisms for global funding that could support nations in need, ensuring that no one is left behind.

"The call for a sufficiently funded, widely supported country's medium-term roadmap ... resonates globally. We must invest in open, transparent, and multi-sectoral processes to strengthen buy-in and commitment at all levels," he said.

Highlighting the need for a collective response to address external and internal health challenges, Kakar said that no state in the world could meet the health challenges alone.

Calling for establishing a shared vision of the world where health security is not a privilege but a universal right, the prime minister underlined that the strength of a nation's health system should not only be measured by its capacity to respond to crises, but also by its ability to prevent, detect, and mitigate health threats.