Foreign Minister Khanal sets out Nepal's pandemic priorities at the UN

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal told a high-level meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, held as part of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, that multilateralism, equity and solidarity must guide global efforts on pandemics and public health emergencies. The habit of responding only once a crisis has struck must give way to a culture of prevention, he said, according to the Foreign Minister's secretariat. Khanal said COVID-19 had shown how a health emergency that starts in one place can become a global crisis. It also laid bare deep inequality in health services and in access to vaccines, medicines, technology and money, he said, adding that the pandemic challenged development gains built up over decades. Nepal welcomes the WHO Pandemic Agreement and the revised international health regulations as important steps, the minister said. He then listed five priorities: equity as the basis of global health security; sustainable finance for preparedness; multilateral cooperation with the World Health Organization at its centre and a meaningful voice for developing countries; putting communities at the heart of preparedness through whole-of-government, whole-of-society and One Health approaches; and involving young people as partners, innovators and future leaders. He called for more investment in resilient health systems, skilled health workers, disease surveillance, early warning, research and preparedness at community level, and asked countries to work together so that no country or generation is left behind. Separately, Khanal met representatives of the Nepali diaspora at a programme organised by the Consulate General of Nepal in New York, Khabarhub reported. He described the diaspora as an important pillar of Nepal's development and said the government is committed to linking their knowledge, skills, capital and networks with national priorities.