17 October 2022, Berlin – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean participated in the WHO summit and a side event organized by the global parliamentarians’ network to end infectious diseases UNITE. On this occasion, PAM was represented by Hon. Ayesha AlMulla (UAE).
More than a hundred nations were represented during the 2022 World Health Summit 2022, with more than 6,000 people present. The conference was organized in 60 sessions, focusing on the topic of “Making the Choice for Health” and its interconnection with other subthemes, including, among others, Climate Change, Architecture for Pandemic Preparedness, Digital Transformation, Food Systems, Health Systems Resilience and Equity, and Global Health for Peace.
During the side event, twelve speakers mentioned the need to establish systems and tools to bring more capacity at the country level, as well as coordination, and collaboration at the global one. The debate focused on the crucial role of parliamentarians in assuring dedicated finance for country preparedness in the national budgets, as well as to cater for international solidarity towards poor countries
Hon. Ayesha AlMulla focused on the importance of cooperation and speed to face the threat of future pandemics, and expressed concern about the increase in discrepancies in purchasing powers among nations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, she highlighted that “refugees and displaced people suffer the most in the lack of adequate health systems and basic services”.
Another issue deriving from the pandemic refers to the expiration and waste of millions of vaccine doses.
To solve these issues, it is essential to plan and implement universal health coverage that targets vulnerable populations and establish an agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, adopted under the WHO leadership, with the aim of enabling countries around the globe to strengthen their capacities and resilience to future pandemics.
To conclude, Hon. Ayesha AlMulla addressed the topic of parliamentarians’ crucial role in raising awareness about the treaty proposal at national and regional levels, building a solid network of focal points in countries and regions, calling for increased budgets for Research & Development, and designing recovery plans at national levels.
PAM is strongly committed to the enhancement of global health security and well-being.
In November 2021, PAM and UNITE signed a Memorandum of Understanding to encourage cooperation among parliamentarians and international organizations.//