New York (VNA) - Philemon Yang, President of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on January 27 appointed Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the UN, and Ambassador Maurizio Massari, Permanent Representative of Italy to the UN, as co-facilitators for the preparation of the UN High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response in 2026.
The UNGA President expressed his confidence in their capacity to work efficiently with UN member states and build consensus for organizing the high-level meeting. The event will focus on strengthening global preparedness, response, and prevention of pandemics, while promoting international commitments to health and well-being, including the Declaration on Future Generations.
This marks the first time Vietnam has been appointed as a co-facilitator for preparing a major UN conference, highlighting the UNGA President’s and the international community’s acknowledgment of Vietnam’s reputation, role, and valuable contributions to global efforts, especially in pandemic prevention and control.
In recent years, Vietnam has actively led initiatives to strengthen the global health system and enhance pandemic preparedness. Notably, the country proposed the annual observance of the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness on December 27, and played a key role in advancing the first UN High-Level Meeting on the topic in 2023./.
