The Minister of Health Hon. Dr. ‘Amelia Tu’ipulotu joined members of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum on Global health in an Ad-hoc virtual Meeting to enhance the role of parliamentarians in COVID-19 response.
Hon. Minister of Health Hon. Dr. ‘Amelia Tu’ipulotu
The meeting was held yesterday the 23rd of April between 4pm to 6pm local time. The objective of the meeting is to;
1. obtain updated technical information from WHO on the COVID-19 situation,
2. To share experiences on parliamentary actions relating to COVID-19; and
3. To consider how the Forum can support these efforts.
The WHO has coordinated technical support to countries in responding to COVID-19. These capacities and the systems they support will be tested in the months to come as the world prepares to manage large-scale community outbreaks of COVID-19.
Parliamentarians can play significant roles to address COVID-19, including:
1. Developing or amending legislation to address and enable COVID-19 response;
2. Discussing plans and financing for COVID-19 response, social protection and other economic measures;
3. Responding to issues raised by constituents in relation to COVID-19;
4. Strengthening institutional mechanisms within parliaments to coordinate COVID-19 issues (e.g., parliamentary bodies established for APPFGH engagement, standing committees on health and social affairs, informal “friends of health” groups); and
5. Collaborating with ministries to provide oversight on COVID-19 response, including issues related to limitations on power, human rights, protecting marginalized populations, and leaving no-one behind.
The meeting was chaired by the President of APPFGH, the Honourable Professor Keizo Takemi, with technical and administrative assistance by the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific as Secretariat to the Forum.