on Global Health (APPFGH) and role as the chair country
Background
The Asia-Pacific region faces a wide range of health challenges that require cross-border cooperation, including infectious disease preparedness and response, Universal Health Coverage (UHC), climate change and health, and healthcare financing. Recognizing these shared challenges, in 2012, Hon. Oh Je-se, the former Chair of the Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Hon. Kim Yong-ik, and Dr. Shin Young-soo, the former Regional Director of the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, agreed to form a parliamentary forum focusing on public health in the Asia-pacific region. They shared the view that parliaments play a crucial role in enacting and amending laws that support health policies and budgets, and sought to create a platform for sustained dialogue and collaboration among countries.
In line with this vision, members of the Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, together with academic and global health experts, established the Korean Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health (KPFGH) on 5 April 2013 and began promoting the creation of a regional parliamentary health network in the Asia-Pacific. Following consultations with legislatures across the region, the 1st Asia Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health (APPFGH) was convened in Seoul in 2015. Since then, APPFGH has evolved into a regional parliamentary platform that facilitates policy dialogue, promotes cooperation among member countries on health-related issues, and explores collective approaches to addressing shared health challenges.
Organization
| Member Countries | Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Japan, Kiribati, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Singapore, the Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam, New Caledonia |
| Secretariat | WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WHO WPRO) |
| Chair Country | Republic of Korea (Term: 2021–Present) |
History
| Session | Theme | Date | Venue | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8th APPFGH | Health Workforce | 4 to 6 September 2024 | Port Vila, Vanuatu with participation from 13 countries | |
| 7th APPFGH | Building Primary Health Care for the Future | 21 to 23 August 2023 | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia with the participation of 27 parliamentarians from 14 countries | |
| 6th APPFGH | Strengthening Health Security and Building Resilience | 23 to 24 August 2022 | Seoul, Republic of Korea with the participation of 29 parliamentarians from 15 countries | |
| Virtual Meeting | Managing the Evolving COVID-19 Pandemic and Preparing Primary Health Care to Meet Future Health Needs | 2 December 2021 | The Republic of Korea was elected as the 2nd Chair Country | |
| Virtual Meeting | Calling for Solidarity to Enhance the Role of Parliamentarians in the COVID-19 Response | 23 April 2020 | ||
| 5th APPFGH | Climate Change and Health | 20 to 22 August 2019 | Nadi, Fiji with the participation of 49 parliamentarians from 20 countries | |
| 4th APPFGH | Strengthening Financing and Regulations for Universal Health Coverage | 23 to 25 August 2018 | WHO Western Pacific Region Office, Manila, the Philippines with the participation of 54 parliamentarians from 21 countries | |
| 3rd APPFGH | Noncommunicable Diseases and Healthy Ageing | 24 to 25 August 2017 | Tokyo, Japan with the participation of 58 parliamentarians from 22 countries | |
| 2nd APPFGH | Health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development | 24 to 25 November 2016 | Seoul, Republic of Korea with the participation of 45 parliamentarians from 17 countries | |
| 1st APPFGH | Global Health Security | 02 to 03 July 2015 | Seoul, Republic of Korea with the participation of 22 parliamentarians from 6 countries |