DOH Sec. Fransisco Duque III Elected as New Chairperson of WHO Regional Committee for Western Pacific

The Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III was elected as the new chairperson of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Western Pacific after being elected by 37 member-states.

The Health Chief will serve for one year and will preside over the entire session virtually from 06 to 09 October 2020.

The agenda Secretary Duque will preside over will include: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization, ageing and health, safe and affordable surgical interventions, and the program budget for 2022-2023.

Secretary Duque thanked committee colleagues for their trust and confidence in electing him as their new Chairperson.

“The circumstances in which we meet this year are very different from last year when we came together to endorse the For the Future vision. Thank you for your continued commitment in implementing that vision in the time of COVID-19, as we work together to adjust to a ‘new normal’ and create a new future,” the Health Chief said.

The committee’s primary functions are to formulate policies, oversee for regional programs, report on the progress of their projects, and to consider, revise and endorse new initiatives.

Resolutions and decisions adopted during the session will guide the work of the Regional and Country Offices for 2021.

The Philippine delegation to the WHO Regional Committee for Western Pacific includes DOH Undersecretaries Mario C. Villaverde, Myrna C. Cabotaje, FDA Director General Rolando Enrique D. Domingo, Directors Maria Soledad Antonio, Napoleon Arevalo, Frances Role Mamaril, Dr. Anna Melissa Guerrero, and Dr. Celia Carlos of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, joining the delegation are representatives of the Department of Foreign Affairs Director Emma Sarne, Michelle Jayag and Kevin Mark Gomez. (GFB)