Brisbane, Australia –
At the International Commission on Military Medicine (ICMM) 45th World Conference “Military Medicine Shaping Global Health” held in Brisbane from 22 to 27 September 2024, the Indo-Pacific Health Security Alliance (IPhsa) The Health Security Alliance (IPhsa) hosted a session co-chaired. Defense Forces (ADF) and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM). The gathering brought together regional and international stakeholders to discuss strategies to strengthen health security and future cooperation.
Key highlights of the session included the announcement that the next IPhsa event will be held in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 2025 and the continuation of the African Partnership Infectious Disease Response Alliance (APORA) in sharing lessons learned. This included participation. These discussions focused on best practices and expanding partnerships to address health threats in the Indo-Pacific region.
Col. Jeffrey Bitterman of Indiapacom opened the session by emphasizing the critical importance of regional cooperation to address evolving health threats such as infectious diseases and natural disasters.
“Together, by building health security capacity, we will promote global stability, foster critical partnerships, reduce harmful impacts, and strengthen collective interoperability preparedness.Public Health Collaboration with authorities, the media, and other stakeholders is also critical to building public trust and a commitment to health and safety.” – Captain Bitterman, U.S. Indo-Pakom Army Surgeon.
He highlighted milestones for the IPhsa, including the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation in 2022 and the Terms of Reference in 2024, formalizing the military-civil partnership. He emphasized that enhanced cross-sector preparedness and interoperability are key to protecting public health and maintaining regional stability.
A pre-recorded message from Rudy Prapancha Suriantoro of the World Health Organization emphasized the need for enhanced civil-military cooperation in health emergencies. He introduced a civil-military mapping tool designed to improve coordination and identify gaps in health emergency preparedness, particularly in biosecurity/laboratories, CBRN, health and disaster response.
ADF’s AIRCDRE Nicole Dos Santos concluded the session by reflecting on the importance of global health security as a cornerstone of national and regional security. She drew on themes of interconnectedness and cited the term “Ubuntu” to emphasize common humanity and collective responsibility. AIRCDR Dos Santos highlighted the increasing convergence of geopolitical, geostrategic and geoeconomic factors and pointed to the need for a multilateral and whole-of-government approach to health security. She praised IPhsa’s role in fostering cooperation between the military and the civilian sector and called for sustained partnership to confront global challenges.
“We are honored to be a founding member of the Alliance and look forward to contributing to the development of the Indo-Pacific Health Security Alliance over the coming years as it leads to improved global health security. As we progress and mature, we encourage more of you to join this alliance and improve the health security of our region and our world for those who follow. – AIRCDRE Dos Santos, Director of Operations and Health Command – Joint Health Command.
At the end of the session, participants echoed the call for enhanced cooperation, looked forward to the IPhsa conference to be held in Papua New Guinea in 2025, and emphasized the need for continued cooperation to strengthen regional health resilience. emphasized.
