Currently, public health emergencies have increasingly been an issue of concern. In an interdependent and interconnected world such as ours, a public health incident in one country may well affect other countries rapidly and even cause crisis in a large area. Public Health Emergency Management constitutes an essential part of the health services system for a country, but it is also an imperative that requires international cooperation to forge collective response.

The areas of pandemic and public health management were presented as tangible areas of cooperation at the 11th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM11). ASEF has identified public health as among the focus of its activities. China’s proposal to organize a workshop on Public Health Emergency Management was welcomed and endorsed at FMM11 and further sponsored by the Asia-Europe Foundation. The Workshop will build on the efforts of ASEF Public Health Network and further expand its activity portfolio.