30 October – 3 November 2023
Pastor Eric Poe
Honourable Members of the Cabinet
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Heads of Government Ministries and Corporations
Distinguished guest
Ladies and gentlemen
Greetings to you all, Talofa, Talofa lava.
On behalf of the Government of Samoa, I am honoured to welcome you all this morning to the official opening of the International Health Regulations (2005) Joint External Evaluation.
The Joint External Evaluation (JEE) is one of the four components of the IHR Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (MEF). It was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with partners to address the recommendation of the IHR Review Committee on Second Extensions for Establishing National Public Health Capacities and on IHR Implementation to combined self-assessment, peer review and voluntary external evaluations involving both local and independent experts. The JEE is a voluntary process in which a team of national and international experts jointly assess country capacity under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to all acute public health events and emergencies.
As recommended at the 74th World Health Assembly, the tools under the International Health Regulation (IHR) (2005) monitoring and evaluation framework (IHRMEF) including the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) can be used to identify areas to further build, strengthen and maintain the capacity required under the International Health Regulations (2005).
Samoa’s decision to engage in the Joint External Evaluation process is a first for the nation and the South Pacific region, underscoring the country’s readiness to fortify its health systems and emphasizing its commitment to global health security. Samoa’s participation sets a precedent for a Whole of Government, ONE Health approach, supporting collective strength and unity towards improved health security in the areas of Human Health, Animal Health and Environment Health. This initiative will boost the combined commitment to enhancing One Health approach to health security, locally and globally.
The findings and recommendations from this Joint External Evaluation will serve as an important resource for updating and revising the National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS), prioritizing opportunities for enhanced preparedness operational readiness, system response and public health actions. The findings will also help the country to implement the Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework (APHSAF) presented to the 74th Regional Committee for the Western Pacific for discussion and adaptation in October 2023. This new framework aims to build stronger and more resilient systems across health and other sectors in countries and areas to protect the health and well-being of the population.
Active ownership and strong leadership will foster accountability, compel the commitment of resources, and ensure the execution of devised strategies to their fullest potential. The full commitment from all relevant stakeholders, including government departments, is essential for smooth process. Their involvement guarantees a comprehensive and inclusive approach to enhancing health frameworks and systems.
This initiative is not only about identifying areas for improvement but also about seeing that these improvements are made, and progress is measured. Therefore, ownership of this process endures Samoa will continue to monitor and evaluate progress post-JEE. Enhancing public health preparedness and response capacity is a shared responsibility, and as such, Samoa’s ownership of the JEE process once again reinforces its commitment to contributing to global health security.
By owning this process, Samoa is paving the way towards creating a culture of continuos public health system strengthening that is sustainable and beneficial for future generations.
I would like to acknowledge the support of the World Bank in making this possible and also the continuous technical assistance of the World Health Organization. I would like to welcome again and acknowledge the presence of the international expertise and observers of the Joint External Evaluation. May we all have a productive evaluation this week.
I am honored on behalf of the Government of Samoa to declare this Joint External Evaluation officially open.
May God bless you all and may God bless Samoa.
Faafetai ma ia manuia.
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Lau susuga le Ta’ita’i o le Sauniga, Susuga Pastor Eric Poe
Lau Afioga i le Tama’ita’i Palemia
Sui mamalu o Minisita o le Kapeneta
Sui mamalu o Malo Aufaatasi
Ta’ita’i o Matagaluega ma Faalapotopotoga
Le paia ua aofia ma Samoa ua potopoto.
E ia te a’u le ava tele e fai ai ma sui o le Malo o Samoa, e fa’atalofa atu ai lenei taeao manino ma le taeao toto’a i le pai aua sasao nei. Ua taga ese fo’i lenei taeao i lenei fa’amoemoe taua, o le tatala aloa’iaina o le Iloiloga Tu’ufa’atasi o vaega o le Tulafono Fa’ava-o-malo mo le soifua maloloina 2005.
O le iloiloga tu’ufa’atasi o Tulafono Fa’avaomalo tau i le Soifua Maloloina, o se tasi o vaega e fa a’i ta’iga o le fa’ava’a o galuega tulituliloa ma iloiloina. Na amatalia lenei galuega i lalo o le fa’amalu a le Fa’alapotopotoga o le Soifua Maloloina fa’atasi ma ana pa’aga, ina ia fa’atinoina iloiloga o galuega fa’atino e aofia ai agava’a, o alagaoa fa’apea ma le si’osi’omaga o lo’o fa’atino ai mo galuega tau soifua maloloina. E fa’atino lenei iloiloga tu’ufa’atasi e tagata o lo’o iai tomai fa’apitoa e le gata i Samoa a’o atunu’u mai fafo.
O lenei iloiloga o se fa’atinoga tauofo e galulue fa’atasi uma ai tagata e iai o latou tomai fa’apitoa i vaega eseese e le gata i totonu o Samoa ae fa’apea ma atunu’u i fafo. O le sini autu ina ia Iloilo le tulaga o lo’o iai le fa’atinoina o Tulafono Fa’atonutonu Tau Soifua Maloloina Fa’ava-malo 2005, ina ia mafai ona puipuia, vave ona iloa aemaise le lelei ma ato’atoa o le tali vave atu i le tele o fa’ama’i fa’apea ma fa’alavelave fa’afuase’i matuiā. O se tasi o fautuaga o le fono tauaofia a le Soifua Maloloina mo le lalolagi atoa (World Health Assembly) i le tausaga e 2021, na soalaupule ai le fa’aaogaina o metotia po’o le fa’ava’a o iloiloga i lalo o le Tulafono Fa’atonutonu tau Soifua Maloloina ina ia toe Iloilo ai galuega fa’atino a atunu’u. O le avanoa lea e mata’itu ai po’o a vaega o lo’o mana’omia le fa’aleleia ma fa’amausaliina ina ia mautinoa le lelei o le puipuiga ma saogalemu se atunu’u o le i taimi o fa’alavelave fa’afuase’I ma fa’ama’I e alia’e mai.
O le fa’aiuga mo le galuega tauofo o lenei iloiloga mo Samoa, o se taimi muamua lenei i totonu o le atunu’u ua fa’atinoina ai fa’apea ma le atu Pasefika atoa. O se fa’ailoga o le galuega sauniuni ma tapenapena o le Malo o Samoa aemaise o lana ta’utinoga e galulue fa’atasi mo le puipuia ma le saogalemu o le soifua maloloina fa’ava-o-malo. O le lagolago a le Malo o Samoa, o lo’o atagia ai le taumafaiga e tauala i le Soifua Maloloina ina ia aofia uma ai vaega eseese e le gata i le soifua maloloina o tagata, o le si’osi’omaga fa’apea ma manu.
O le fa’aiuga o lenei iloiloga o le a fa’atino ina lenei vaiaso atoa, o le a fa’amausali ai le Fuafuaga Fa’ata’atia mo le Puipuiga o le Soifua Maloloina mo Samoa, ma fesoasoani e toe matimati ai alafua ma metotia, o tapenapenaga aemaise le fa’asauni o le atunu’u e tali atu i ni fa’alavelave fa’afuase’I aemaise o le puipuiga o le soifua maloloina lautele.
O lenei iloiloga o lo’o ta’imua ai vaega eseese o lo’o nafa tonu ma puipuiga tau soifua maloloina lautele i so’o se itu e aofia ai puipuiga o uafu fa’a-va-o-malo, o tagata faigaluega, o galuega tau le si’osi’omaga faapea ma su’esu’ega, auala fa’atekonolosi, o le vaega o tupe, o feso’otaiga ma fa’alauiloa, galuega tau agafeso’otai i totonu o nu’u ma afioaga.
E momoli atu le fa’amalo lenei galuega taua aua lava le fa’aleleia ma le puipuia o le Soifua Maloloina o le atunu’u.
Manuia le iloiloga i lenei vaiaso atoa, ma ua tatala aloa’ia ai lenei fa’amoemoe.
SOIFUA.
