Recording of a briefing delivered on 14 November 2023 to organisations implementing Partnerships for a Healthy Region projects and strategic partnerships.

The event was facilitated by the Specialist Health Service (SHS, managed by Abt Associates).

Watershed Interventions for Systems Health (WISH) seeks to optimise water, sanitation and catchment management, improve outbreak response and minimise the impact of water-borne diseases. https://indopacifichealthsecurity.dfat.gov.au/watershed-interventions-systems-health-wish

Indo-Pacific Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights COVID-19 Response (C-Surge) - Global Health Division - UNFPA Technical Specialists working in Kiribati >>> Australia is providing support to accelerate sexual and reproductive health services and rights across 22 countries in the Indo-Pacific. The $48.5 million Indo-Pacific Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights COVID-19 Surge Response is using innovative platforms to deliver services and information including for family planning and maternal and child health. It also supports improved data for strengthened public health responses, particularly for adolescent girls. These essential, life-saving services, central to advancing gender equality, have been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Indo-Pacific, we have seen increases in unplanned pregnancies and worsening infant and maternal mortality and morbidity. These outcomes threaten to unwind years of global effort to improve health outcomes for women and girls. This initiative is helping to close the gap in services across the region, helping women and girls to reach their full potential.

Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations is a non-profit organisation that seeks to stimulate and fast-track the development of vaccines against Emerging Infectious Diseases and to enable equitable access to these vaccines for people during outbreaks. The Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security funded CEPI under the Health Security Initiative 2017-2022.

Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations is a non-profit organisation that seeks to stimulate and fast-track the development of vaccines against Emerging Infectious Diseases and to enable equitable access to these vaccines for people during outbreaks. The Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security funded CEPI under the Health Security Initiative 2017-2022.

ASTEROID will develop and deliver a program of training materials to strengthen infection prevention and control in health facilities in Timor-Leste. With the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks,activities for ASTEROID have accelerated and training extended to cover COVID-19. The project has delivered remote trainings to health workers across all 13 districts of the country on how to triage individuals with potential COVID-19 infections and effectively quarantine in health facility settings. In addition, community-based training have been provided to prevent and control infections in workplaces and schools. https://indopacifichealthsecurity.dfat.gov.au/advancing-surveillance-and-training-enhance-recognition-infectious-disease-asteroid

Tupaia aggregates and visualises data from multiple sources to help improve medicines availability, map disease outbreaks, respond to disasters and strengthen service provision in the Indo-Pacific. The Beyond Essentials Systems team, with Australian government support through the Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security, is also helping to roll-out mSupply mobile, an innovative mobile-telephone based medical supply stock information system that can be used by frontline health workers to ensure medicines and other supplies are stocked and up to date. https://indopacifichealthsecurity.dfat.gov.au/tupaia

ASTEROID will develop and deliver a program of training materials to strengthen infection prevention and control in health facilities in Timor-Leste. With the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks,activities for ASTEROID have accelerated and training extended to cover COVID-19. The project has delivered remote trainings to health workers across all 13 districts of the country on how to triage individuals with potential COVID-19 infections and effectively quarantine in health facility settings. In addition, community-based training have been provided to prevent and control infections in workplaces and schools. https://indopacifichealthsecurity.dfat.gov.au/advancing-surveillance-and-training-enhance-recognition-infectious-disease-asteroid

ASTEROID will develop and deliver a program of training materials to strengthen infection prevention and control in health facilities in Timor-Leste. With the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks,activities for ASTEROID have accelerated and training extended to cover COVID-19. The project has delivered remote trainings to health workers across all 13 districts of the country on how to triage individuals with potential COVID-19 infections and effectively quarantine in health facility settings. In addition, community-based training have been provided to prevent and control infections in workplaces and schools. https://indopacifichealthsecurity.dfat.gov.au/advancing-surveillance-and-training-enhance-recognition-infectious-disease-asteroid

COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Philippines via COVAX

At the end of this project, the Field Epidemiology in Action project will have trained up to 42 staff located in PNG, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Timor-Leste in field epidemiology who can conduct surveillance and implement public health interventions to help health authorities respond more quickly and effectively to disease outbreaks such as COVID-19. https://indopacifichealthsecurity.dfat.gov.au/field-epidemiology-action-strengthening-outbreak-detection-and-response-through-partnership-and Profile https://indopacifichealthsecurity.dfat.gov.au/health-security-hero-philip-popai-png-field-epidemiologist

At the end of this project, the Field Epidemiology in Action project will have trained up to 42 staff located in PNG, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Timor-Leste in field epidemiology who can conduct surveillance and implement public health interventions to help health authorities respond more quickly and effectively to disease outbreaks such as COVID-19. https://indopacifichealthsecurity.dfat.gov.au/field-epidemiology-action-strengthening-outbreak-detection-and-response-through-partnership-and Profile https://indopacifichealthsecurity.dfat.gov.au/health-security-hero-philip-popai-png-field-epidemiologist

As part of the Australia's vaccine access activities Australia is committed to vaccine equity. With vaccine supply globally constrained, Australia committed to sharing doses with its regional partners. Note FM media release - https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/sharing-covid-19-vaccines-our-neighbours

As part of the Australia's vaccine access activities Australia is committed to vaccine equity. With vaccine supply globally constrained, Australia committed to sharing doses with its regional partners. Note FM media release - https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/sharing-covid-19-vaccines-our-neighbours

As part of the Australia's vaccine access activities Australia is committed to vaccine equity. With vaccine supply globally constrained, Australia committed to sharing doses with its regional partners. Note FM media release - https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/sharing-covid-19-vaccines-our-neighbours

As part of the Australia's vaccine access activities Australia is committed to vaccine equity. With vaccine supply globally constrained, Australia committed to sharing doses with its regional partners. Note FM media release - https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/sharing-covid-19-vaccines-our-neighbours

STRONG TL Project - Health Security Initiative Phase One 2017-2022: Through development and implementation of national communicable disease surveillance guidelines and strengthening of operational research capacity in Timor-Leste. https://indopacifichealthsecurity.dfat.gov.au/surveillance-training-research-opportunities-and-national-guidelines-communicable-disease-control-0

As part of the Australia's vaccine access activities Australia is committed to vaccine equity. With vaccine supply globally constrained, Australia committed to sharing doses with its regional partners. Note FM media release - https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/sharing-covid-19-vaccines-our-neighbours

As part of the Australia's vaccine access activities Australia is committed to vaccine equity. With vaccine supply globally constrained, Australia committed to sharing doses with its regional partners. Note FM media release - https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/sharing-covid-19-vaccines-our-neighbours

As part of the Australia's vaccine access activities Australia is committed to vaccine equity. With vaccine supply globally constrained, Australia committed to sharing doses with its regional partners. Note FM media release - https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/sharing-covid-19-vaccines-our-neighbours

Arrival of 10,000 of Australian made AstraZeneca vaccines into Samoa by a special Australia Defence flight on 1st February 2022, as well as handover ceremony (same day) by HOM Emily Luck to Samoa's Director of Health, Leausa Take Naseri.

Arrival of 10,000 of Australian made AstraZeneca vaccines into Samoa by a special Australia Defence flight on 1st February 2022, as well as handover ceremony (same day) by HOM Emily Luck to Samoa's Director of Health, Leausa Take Naseri.

South East Asia LABoratory Strengthening - SEALAB under Indo-Pacific Health Security Initiative Phase One 2017-2022. Public health and veterinary diagnostic laboratories in, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar will be better able to detect, investigate, coordinate and report on disease outbreaks that could become public health emergencies. https://indopacifichealthsecurity.dfat.gov.au/south-east-asia-laboratory-strengthening-sealab Story:-- https://www.sealab.asia/news/training-of-trainers-on-maintenance-in-cambodia/

Indo-Pacific Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights COVID-19 Response (C-Surge) - Global Health Division - Philippines Australia is providing support to accelerate sexual and reproductive health services and rights across 22 countries in the Indo-Pacific. The $48.5 million Indo-Pacific Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights COVID-19 Surge Response is using innovative platforms to deliver services and information including for family planning and maternal and child health. It also supports improved data for strengthened public health responses, particularly for adolescent girls. These essential, life-saving services, central to advancing gender equality, have been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Indo-Pacific, we have seen increases in unplanned pregnancies and worsening infant and maternal mortality and morbidity. These outcomes threaten to unwind years of global effort to improve health outcomes for women and girls. This initiative is helping to close the gap in services across the region, helping women and girls to reach their full potential.