On 20 September 2023, H.E. Mr. Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand, attended the High-level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR) during the High-level Week of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs underscored COVID-19 as one of the most serious “multidimensional crises” of our time and outlined three key priorities for the world to implement for better PPPR as follows:

(1) Greater investment in Universal Health Coverage (UHC), both in normal times and emergencies, is needed to ensure the resilience of health systems, social protection, social justice and health equity.

(2) The international community should expedite the reform of the global health architecture for better equity, inclusivity, and coherence, through capacity building, the enhancement of public-private partnership for a digital transformation of health system and ensuring a successful conclusion of the ‘pandemic treaty’ and the amendments of the International Health Regulations (2005) under the WHO.

(3) It is vital to intensify development cooperation for PPPR which is essential to global health security through innovative means, including through sharing of health-related intellectual property rights through the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP).

The event brought together leaders and high-level representatives of Member States, observers of the General Assembly and the United Nations system, 
non-governmental organisations and health organisations to further mobilise political momentum for the work on strengthening the world’s capacity on PPPR, including through the negotiations of the ‘pandemic treaty’ under the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Meeting was a platform for Thailand to reaffirm her commitment to work with the international community to improve the world’s PPPR. It also approved a political declaration on PPPR, showing that the international community is united and ready to work as one with spirit of partnership and cooperation toward the “common good.”