The 16th ASEAN Health Ministers’ Meeting (AHMM) and related meetings were held from August 5-9 in Vientiane, Laos. Health ministry
Minister of Health Chheang Ra reaffirmed Cambodia’s commitment to promoting the health and well-being of the people of ASEAN by strengthening and expanding cooperation with the bloc and its dialogue partners.
He made the remarks at the 16th ASEAN Health Ministers' Meeting (AHMM) and related meetings held from August 5-9 in Vientiane, Laos.
“During each meeting, the minister confirmed Cambodia’s position and commitment to strengthen cooperation … to improve the health and well-being of the people of the ASEAN region in line with the will and efforts of the Cambodian government,” the ministry said in a press release circulated on August 11.
The meetings were attended by the health ministers of the 10 ASEAN member states and those from Timor-Leste, China, Japan, South Korea and the US, as well as representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia.
The meetings are the highest-level gatherings of the ASEAN health sector, held every two years to assess the progress of the ASEAN health working group's action plan, identify risk factors and set commitments to ensure the health and quality of life of ASEAN citizens, contributing to the achievement of universal health coverage.
The ASEAN health ministers agreed to expand regional cooperation, strengthen healthcare systems and promote health security through initiatives such as the ASEAN Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Network and the ASEAN Risk Assessment and Risk Communication Centre (ARARC).
During the gatherings, Ra signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with his Indonesian counterpart on health cooperation and discussed bilateral efforts to strengthen ties between Cambodia and Indonesia.
He also met with Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi) CEO Sania Nishtar to discuss the organisation’s ongoing cooperation and assistance to Cambodia, with Gavi reaffirming its commitment to supporting Cambodia for five more years, according to a press release.
A joint statement was also issued outlining activities to strengthen and expand cooperation within the regional partnership and with ASEAN dialogue partners. The statement also pledged to continue the ASEAN-China MoU.
ASEAN and the US committed to promoting regular dialogue and cooperation as part of a broader effort to enhance the overall health of ASEAN residents and to achieve univeral health coverage by 2030, in line with sustainable development goals (SDGs), as per the statement.
