Secretary Locsin welcomes proposed Framework Convention on Pandemic Preparedness and Response in meeting with WHO Country Rep. Dr. Abeyasinghe

 World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe calls on Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. (left) for the first time on 14 May 2021 (DFA-OPCD Photo by Jeffrey Mendoza)

PASAY CITY, 14 May 2021 — Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. received today the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative to the Philippines, Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, who assumed his post in September 2020. He has served the WHO since 2011 in various capacities.

Secretary Locsin congratulated Dr. Abeyasinghe on his appointment; expressed appreciation to the WHO headquarters, regional, and country offices for their dedicated work, especially in contributing towards the Philippine COVID-19 response since the start of the pandemic; and emphasized the importance of the Covax Facility to the developing world, its unfailing equitableness, unparalleled transparency and accountability.

Dr. Abeyasinghe assured Secretary Locsin of WHO’s commitment to work with the Philippines and the Covax Facility, as well as in overcoming challenges in supply and delivery logistics of much needed vaccines for the whole Philippine population.  He pointed to the importance of a domestic system for tracking virus mutations and variants which will continue in the foreseeable future. Both sides recognized the importance of the proposed multilateral Framework Convention on Pandemic Preparedness and Response. END