Ulaanbaatar, August 15, 2023 /MONTSAME/. The State Great Khural of Mongolia, World Health Organization, and the Ministry of Health are in the process of preparing a joint organization of the Seventh Meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentarian Forum (APPF) on Global Health under the theme "Building primary health care for the future" in Ulaanbaatar on August 21-23.

A meeting of parliamentarians of Asia and the Pacific countries on global health issues is held every year, and this year’s conference will be steered by the Chairman of the State Great Khural G. Zandanshatar. Though in the last 20 years the average life expectancy has increased, and maternal and child mortality has decreased, in the future, due to environmental degradation, urbanization, population growth, and changes in population spread, some complications to meet health needs can be expected. Inequitable access to primary health care (PHC) across the region continues to negatively affect health spendings year after year. Therefore, at the previous regular meeting, countries agreed on the need to update and redefine their policy of providing primary health care services to their citizens and approved the strategic document "Strengthening primary health care in the Western Pacific for the future".

Objectives of the Seventh Meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentarian Forum (APPF) on Global Health:

• Provide up-to-date evidence-based entry points and pathways to strengthen PHC policy for the future based on the Regional Framework on the Future of Primary Health Care in the Western Pacific;
• Invite and share parliamentarians’ country experiences to champion and support PHC reform through their core functions leveraging local opportunities;
• Present and share innovations in promotion of PHC, including technology, financing models, and partnerships addressing challenges in PHC;
• Consider and share opportunities for parliamentarians to promote PHC beyond the health sector, including through partnerships at the global, regional, national and local level.

The Meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentarian Forum (APPF) on Global Health is a platform for parliamentarians to support cooperation between parliamentarians in sustainable action on health issues, exchange mutual experiences, and jointly solve health problems facing the world. Parliamentarians play an important role in strengthening international partnerships by addressing health priority issues as part of their primary duties of enacting laws, approving budgets, and overseeing the implementation of laws. This platform was created in 2015 by the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea with the support of the World Health Organization, and now more than 30 countries have joined as members.