Zahedan University of Medical Sciences

Report from: Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, International Affairs Office
Published on: 09 September 2022

Click here to download G5 Tehran Communiqué

The G5 meeting was held in Tehran, Iran, 6-7 September 2022, with the presence of delegations from Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and the World Health Organization with the theme of "Joint Work for Solving Joint Health Problems". The participants included senior level professionals of the four countries.

Iran"s Ministry of Health and Medical Education initiated the establishment of the G5 group in 2005 to promote regional collaboration in health among the group of four countries - Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been serving as secretariat of G5 group. The World Health Organization as the fifth member of this group has been providing technical support to facilitate collaboration between member countries in order to ensure the success of the sub-regional initiative.

While acknowledging the differences, the member states enjoy cultural and historical ties that will definitely have a positive impact on the continuation of bilateral cooperation in the field of health.

This 2 days meeting provided a unique opportunity for the experts and authorities from ministry of health of member states to discuss common challenges, share experiences and explore ways to work collectively to address some of the issues commonly faced by all four countries. In particular, the meeting agenda was focused on following three main public health topics that were discussed in three technical sessions:

1. Health system with PHC approach and Health System Resilience (PHC promotion Roadmap, Web-Based Health Information System, Health Emergency Operation Centers network)
2. Prevention, Control, and response to High Threat Communicable Disease (Disease Surveillance, Data Sharing, Polio Eradication Roadmap and Challenges)
3. Cross Border Collaboration on Mass Gatherings (Public Health Management Plan in Mass Gathering, International Health Regulations at Points of Entry, Risk Communication and Community Engagement)

At the end of meeting the recommendations derived out of the G5 meeting deliberations and discussions were presented.

The meeting was concluded by remarks from H.E. Iran"s Health Minister Dr. Bahram Einollahi as he noted: "The G5 should not only express sympathy in the crises of the region, but should act operationally and in the field to contain the crisis, and in this way, paying attention to social factors affecting health (SDH) plays an important role."

The Iran"s Minister of Health emphasized: "The Corona pandemic has shown that health plays a fundamental role in countries. Therefore, regional governments are expected to provide maximum support to health systems and consider the crucial role of health in macro policies."

He added:" I would like to thank the representatives of the neighboring countries who took a lot of time for the expert meetings and I ask you to announce the report, the results of this meeting and the final statement to the government and high officials of your countries in order to make health decisions to be effective in the region."

The Iran"s Minister of Health emphasized: The Secretariat of the Group of 5 in Iran will continue its work more actively than in the past and will be accountable to the members. Especially with the mass communication tools that exist today, we expect group communication to be stronger and faster than in the past."

At the end of his speech, Dr. Einollahi called for the secretariat of Group 5 in Iran to announce a specific schedule and calendar to the members to continue the activities of Group 5."

Click here to download G5 meeting program

G5 Meeting Photo Gallery, Iran"s Ministry of Health Website

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