Regional Cooperation Thru Education, Culture, UHC

Sen. Francis “Tol” Tolentino presides over the plenary session on Regional Cooperation in the Asia Pacific Region on the third day of the annual meeting of the 31st Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF 31) Saturday, November 25, 2023. Delegates agreed to strengthen regional cooperation through education and culture and shared common challenges and gains in the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC). A draft resolution by Australia noted that despite overall progress, most countries in the region are not on track in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) which seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. According to the draft, 27 million children and adolescents across the region remain illiterate and there is significant disparity in terms of education accessibility, level and infrastructure. On the other hand, a resolution drafted by the Philippine delegation noted the Asia-Pacific region’s challenges in weak health system, limited access to quality and affordable healthcare, disproportionate impact of disasters and outbreaks on vulnerable groups, political resistance, economic considerations, insufficient health workforce capacity, among others.