ISLAMABAD  -   Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has said new diseases like Covid-19 pandemic and climate induced challenges such as historic floods of 2022 in Pakistan are affecting our citizens’ health and causing social and economic impacts.

The prime minister also called for greater international collaboration for global funding and frameworks to ensure world-wide health security. Speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day Global Health Security Summit in Islamabad on Wednesday, he also urged the need for information sharing, joint research and collaborative strategies for an effective response during emergencies. He emphasized the importance of integrating climate resilience into the health policies and systems.The Prime Minister also emphasized the need for establishing international standards for food safety to ensure the highest level of protection for population worldwide. Kakar said no state in the world can meet the health challenges single- handedly. He said similarly, internal challenges posed by population growth and rapid urbanization also cannot be dealt with by a country alone. In his remarks, Minister for National Health Services Dr Nadeem Jan said Pakistan has been an ardent supporter of global health security. He said this summit reflects our commitment and sensitivity to the health needs of everyone especially the downtrodden. Addressing the Summit, Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani said Pakistan supports amendment to International Health Regulations of 2005 and adopting a pandemic instrument that is based on principles of equity.