Yesterday, U.S. Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan hosted a roundtable discussion with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan and senior officials from across the U.S. Government. This was a first of its kind meeting, with high-level leadership from the National Security Staff, U.S. Federal government agencies and departments, and the WHO to discuss common areas of interest in the area of global health security. Attendees included a wide range of stakeholders from across the U.S. Government, including those representing the fields of health, defense, law enforcement, international development, foreign affairs, security, animal and agriculture health, and science.
Participants discussed the steps needed to advance key elements of a U.S. Government – WHO memorandum of understanding on global health security, signed last year on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. The discussion included topics such as the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) — a key framework for WHO Member States in the detection, reporting, and response of public health emergencies of international concern. At the 2011 United Nations General Assembly, President Obama signaled the importance of IHR in meeting the challenge of fighting all biological dangers, noting: “Today, I urge all nations to join us in meeting the WHO’s goal of making sure all nations have core capacities to address public health emergencies in place by 2012. That is what our commitment to the health of our people demands.”
Fonte: White House