ASEAN-Germany supports the launch of ASEAN One Health Network in strengthening regional resilience against emerging diseases

Jakarta, 19 June 2024 – The GIZ Project “Strengthening ASEAN Resilience through Capacity Building of Core Competencies in Public Health Emergency (PHE)” commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) continues to support ASEAN and ASEAN Member States in launching the ASEAN One Health Network and ASEAN One Health Joint Plan of Action along with the ASEAN Public Health Emergency Webinar Series focusing on future pandemic preparedness and response using the One Health Approach. This initiative is part of continued efforts to strengthen health professionals’ capacity to collaborate on health security and cooperation in the ASEAN region.
The successful joint partnership on the One Health network and actions for future collaboration were emphasised during the official launch of ASEAN One Health Network (AOHN) and ASEAN One Health Joint Plan of Action (ASEAN OH JPA) held at Le Meridian Jakarta.

Of the more than 100 participants joining the event, up to 70 representatives attended the event on site to celebrate the AOHN launch and showcase the joint commitment to putting its One Health Joint Plan of Action into practice. These included representatives from ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Health Development (SOMHD) Focal Points, including Contact Points on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Zoonosis, and Food Safety; ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SOM-AMAF) Focal Points; ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Environment (ASOEN) Focal Points; the ASEAN secretariat and related offices; and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia as well as international and intergovernmental agencies.
The launch of the ASEAN One Health Network was held in the morning and was followed by the afternoon sessions of the webinar series on public health emergencies focusing on the One Health approach to strengthening ASEAN’s abilities to mitigate biological threats, particularly in reinforcing their capacity to prepare and respond to outbreaks and emerging infectious diseases.

The ASEAN OH JPA will also provide a framework to guide sustainable One Health implementation in the region. Coordinated by the ASEAN One Health Network, it is expected that the development, operationalisation, and implementation will strengthen ASEAN’s abilities in mitigating biological threats, particularly in strengthening the capacity to prepare and respond to outbreaks and emerging infectious diseases. Through intensive discussion and knowledge exchange among international experts on Public Health Emergencies and One Health, the ASEAN PHE Webinar Series provided policy briefs based on the two sessions; (1) Public Health Emergency Response Focusing on Future Preparation – The Role of ASEAN, and (2) Lessons Learned from International Cooperation/International Organisations in Implementing One Health). which summarised relevant research and suggestions on possible future solutions and actions.

Syarifah Liza Munira, Director General of Health Policy Agency, Ministry of Health, Republic of Indonesia, gave the opening remarks, saying: “Today’s event marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts to address public health challenges through a collaborative and multisector approach – a one health approach. It also shows our real action in realising the shared commitment as an ASEAN community in enhancing public health security and resilience. One Health is an approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes.”
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the necessity for increasing cross-border cooperation and coordination in preparing and dealing with health emergencies, especially those with pandemic potential. An increase in cases of zoonosis and emerging infectious diseases as well as multidimensional threats from other sectors including antimicrobial resistance (AMR), food safety risks and climate change are seen as a wake-up call for countries to not only strengthen multilateral health sector collaboration but also cross-sectoral collaborations. Indonesia’s Chairpersonship of ASEAN in 2023 highlighted the importance of ASEAN on the global stage. Part of this includes strengthening the regional health architecture for better prevention, preparedness, and response towards current and future health threats.

Oliver Hoppe, Counsellor for Development Cooperation at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Indonesia, ASEAN, and Timor-Leste gave a speech through video, saying: “We are not only launching the ASEAN One Health Network and the Joint Plan of Action but also embarking on a series of initiatives that will further enhance our preparedness for future pandemics. The ASEAN One Health Joint Plan of Action will provide a comprehensive framework for sustainable One Health implementation across the region, ensuring that we address biological threats with a holistic approach that recognises the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health.”

Pouchamarn Wongsanga, Project Director, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), also emphasised the importance of collective collaboration of the ASEAN community in strengthening regional health resilience and security during the event, saying: “One of the main gaps to be addressed is the continued support on capacity building particularly contact tracing and rapid outbreak investigation for prevention and control of communicable disease transmission. It is important to address disease control management and provide a platform for professionals working at Point of Entry, those in the field of emergency preparedness and response, public health and related networks such as the ASEAN Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) and ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED) to syngernise and scale up cross-border One Health systems.”
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Pouchamarn Wongsanga
Project Director of PHE
Email: pouchamarn.wongsanga(at)giz.de