Full Text: Joint Statement on Future Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response

SEOUL -- The following is the full text of the Joint Statement on Future Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response among China, Japan and the Republic of Korea released on Monday. Joint Statement on Future Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response We, the leaders of the Republic of Korea, Japan and the People's Republic of China, convened in Seoul, Republic of Korea, on May 27, 2024, on the occasion of the Ninth Trilateral Summit, and decided as follows: Reaffirming our commitment to prevention of, preparedness for and response to future pandemics through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, International Health Regulations and General Programme of Work of the World Health Organization ; Recalling that WHA resolution 74.7 on the global strategy and action plan for infectious disease prevention and control highlights the importance of national roles in leading efforts to address infectious disease outbreaks; Acknowledging the achievements made with collaboration and exchanges for a collective response to infectious disease outbreaks, and the commitment to the Joint Action Plan on Preparedness and Response against Infectious Diseases with Pandemic or High Consequence Potential of Common Concern, which was based on the original Joint Action Plan adopted in 2008 and revised in 2016, and adopted at the Fourteenth Tripartite Health Ministers' Meeting in December 2021; Acknowledging the efforts for establishing an international cooperation system to respond to the global pandemic through the special ASEAN Plus Three Summit on COVID-19, the ROK-Japan-China Foreign Ministers' special video conference on COVID-19, and the Special Video Conference of the Tripartite Health Ministers' Meeting on COVID-19 Response held in 2020; Acknowledging the benefits arising from sharing national policies, strategies, experiences, best practices and lessons through the platform established by the three countries with a view to promoting the effective prevention of, preparedness for and response to future pandemics; Noting the need for an effective response to the adverse impacts of new health emergencies on economic and social development such as the outbreak of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, as COVID-19 remains a persistent threat including the possibility of the emergence of a new variant of concern, despite the official announcement of the end of the COVID-19 PHEIC in May 2023; Emphasizing that the Republic of Korea, Japan and the People's Republic of China need to actively address future pandemics and public health emergencies through the implementation of relevant national strategies and activities to enhance international cooperation; 1. We will prioritize future pandemic prevention, preparedness and response as part of our national strategies with the commitment that achieving universal health coverage is essential in our efforts to strengthen the global health architecture, and encourage and support related government policies and action plans - such as on mid- and long-term national economic development, public health, healthcare service delivery system and healthcare reform - to incorporate future pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. To this end, we will work together to strengthen regional health security through bilateral and multilateral initiatives and partnerships with international organizations of which the three countries are members; encourage relevant joint research, policy dialogue and sharing of experiences; and seek to build long-term cooperation mechanisms, including by strengthening cooperation among the national public health institutes for disease control in the three countries, such as through the Korea-Japan-China Communicable Disease Control and Prevention Forum and Joint Symposium.