Upcoming Events
The information here is about the upcoming 5th Regional Working Group Meeting of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI - RWG).
Attached you will find information about the following:
1) Invitation Letter from the Government of Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
2) Procedures for obtaining a Vietnamese visa (U.S. participants only).
3) New World Hotel reservation form (U.S. participants only).
Please be sure to contact LMI Desk Officer, Jocelyn Roberts (RobertsJD2@state.gov ), with any questions or concerns.
The Next LMI Regional Working Group: Thailand will host the next LMI Regional Working Group on Sept. 27-28, Phuket, Thailand. DAS Patel will head the U.S. delegation.
The United States and Lao PDR will co-host the Lower Mekong Initiative Second Regional Working Group meeting. The aim of this event is to highlight the progress of existing LMI activities and discuss newly-proposed LMI programs based upon the LMI Plan of Action approved at the July 2011 LMI Ministerial Meetings in Bali, Indonesia. The LMI partner countries of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam will provide inputs from each of their respective countries’ interagency working group meetings, and offer their feedback and input on the planning and implementation of LMI activities. Office of Mainland Southeast Asia Director W. Patrick Murphy will lead the United States delegation.
Description: This workshop is the first of its kind in response to State’s LMI and will focus on developing collective capabilities in disaster management through collaboration efforts of dialogues, information exchanges, practical engagements and exercises.
Objectives:
- Establish a shared regional perspectives and understanding on disaster management
- Identity national priorities and capabilities.
- Develop a common framework to expand existing relationships
- Build trusts between regional officials
LMI Pandemic Preparedness Workshop will be held November 15-18, 2011 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The United States and Lao PDR will co-host the Lower Mekong Initiative Second Regional Working Group meeting. The aim of this event is to highlight the progress of existing LMI activities and discuss newly-proposed LMI programs based upon the LMI Plan of Action approved at the July 2011 LMI Ministerial Meetings in Bali, Indonesia. The LMI partner countries of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam will provide inputs from each of their respective countries’ interagency working group meetings, and offer their feedback and input on the planning and implementation of LMI activities. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joseph Y. Yun will lead the United States delegation.
The LMI Pandemic Preparedness Workshop will be held for LMI nations November 15-18 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
DRAFT
Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Health Agenda: A Four Day Comprehensive Workshop focused on Pandemic Preparedness and Infectious Diseases Prevention
Supported by
Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC)
US Pacific Command, Center for Excellence and USAID
Dates: 15-18 Nov, 2011
Goal: The workshop will identify region resource requirements, communication strategies and response mechanisms for pandemic preparedness and response.
Workshop objectives:
- Develop and strengthen a coordinated response to manage commonly shared borders and migrant issues during a pandemic.
- Develop and strengthen Risk communication and business continuity planning in support of the ASEAN Technical Working Group on Pandemic Preparedness.
- Integrate militaries into civilian pandemic preparedness and response plans.
- Provide an opportunity to identify cooperative opportunities in the region that will benefit all countries and assist the LMI Health Project objectives.
- Provide updated information from national and regional organizations that will better prepare countries to work together during an infectious disease outbreak.
Conference Venue: Seim Reap, Cambodia, Hotel TBD
Draft Agenda:
Day 1, Tuesday, Nov 15, 2011.
Integrated Pandemic Planning and Overview
07.30 - 08.30
Late Registration
COE Staff
08.30 - 08.40
Welcoming Remarks:
LTG Kong Saly, Director, Department of Health, Ministry of National Defense, Finance and Logistics
08.40 - 08.50
Opening Remarks
Professor Eng Auot, Office of Foreign Affairs (Health) Sec of State,
08:50 - 09:10
Opening Remarks:
Dr. Sok Touch, Director, Communicable Diseases, Ministry of Health, Cambodia
09:10 - 10:00
Participant Introductions
Facilitator
10:00 - 10:30
Group Photo and Break
10:30 - 10:45
WHO Overview; Infectious Diseases in the Mekong River Basin; Brief history, current activities and projected future
WHO Regional, WPRO (Dr Sovann to contact)
10:45 - 11:15
Cambodian National Pandemic Plan
Dr. Ly Sovann, Cambodia MOH
11:15 - 12:00
Open
TBD
12:00 - 13:00
Lunch
13:00 - 13:30
Open
TBD
13:00 - 13:30
Introduction to the Health sector in a Resilient Community; Best practices, measureable processes, and pandemic preparedness;
Dr. Thomas Cullison, Operations Director, COE
13:30 - 14:30
Table top exercise
Facilitator
14:30 - 14:45
Break
14:45 - 15:15
Integrated pandemic preparedness planning; A case study exercise that focuses on civil-military cooperation during a public health crisis at the local levels WHO Phase 6 at the borders
Dr. Ly Sovann, MOH, Cambodia
15:15 - 16:45
Table top exercise
Facilitator
16:45 - 17:00
Day in Review and Preview
Moderator
Day 2, Wednesday, 16 Nov, 2011
Regional Pandemic Preparedness
08:30 - 08:45
Welcome to Day 2 and Instructions
Moderator
8:45 - 09:45
The Sphere Project Handbook 2011; Health and Water minimum standards update for use at border crossing and large gatherings of people during a pandemic
Cambodian senior NGO representative (Dr Sovann to contact)
09:45 - 10:00
Break
10:00 - 10:30
Mortuary Affairs; civil-military cooperation and foreign dispositions of bodies during a pandemic;
MOH and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand (Mr Andy Bates to contact)
10:30 - 11:00
Table top exercise
Facilitator
11:00 - 11:30
Investigating infectious disease outbreaks on the borders; IHR 2005
WHO (Dr Sovann to contact)
11:30 - 12:00
Thai National Pandemic Plan overview
Thailand
12:00 - 13:00
Lunch
13:00 - 13:30
Essential services support of the Health sector; The interdependencies for all 8 critical essential services during a pandemic;
Laos (Dr Bounlay?)
13:30 - 14:30
Table top exercise
Facilitator
14:30 - 14:45
Break
14:45 - 15:15
Communicating a potential pandemic outbreak in the LMI region; Communication exercises that demonstrates the need to plan a joint strategy;
UNICEF (Dr Sovann to contact)
15:15 - 16:30
Table top exercise
Facilitator
16:30 - 16:40
Day in review
Moderator
Day 3, Thursday, 17 Nov, 2011.
Business Continuity
08:00 - 08:15
Welcome to Day 3 and Instructions
Moderator
08:15 - 09:00
Vietnam National Pandemic Plan
Vietnam
09:00 - 10:00
Open
TBD
10:00 - 10:30
Break
10:30 - 11:00
Preparing National Health systems for medical surge capacity operations; What must the health care system do differently during a pandemic?
Business Continuity Operations;
Mr. Andrew Bates, COE
11:00 - 12:00
Table top exercise
Facilitator
12:00 - 13:00
Lunch
13:00 - 13:45
Containing an outbreak at the borders
Dr. Ly Sovann, Cambodia
13:45 - 15:00
Table top exercise
Facilitator
15:00 - 15:30
Break
15:30 - 16:00
Open
TBD
16:00 - 16:10
Review and preview
Moderator
Day 4, Friday, 18 Nov, 2011.
Harmonizing Regional Cooperation
08:00 - 08:15
Day in review
Moderator
08:15 - 9:15
Lao PDR National Pandemic Plan
Dr. Bounlay, Lao PDR (NEIDCO)
09:15 - 10:30
Laboratory operations in the region
NAMRU-2 (Andy Bates to contact)
10:30 - 10:45
Break
10:45 - 11:15
Open
TBD
11:15 - 11:45
Expert Panel; Summarize of this workshop and direction for next LMI Health Conference
Senior Officials (Dr. Sovann contact)
11:45 - 12:30
Closing Ceremony
Moderator
Participants will include representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, the ASEAN Secretariat and the United States - primarily from the Pacific Command. This is an annual training on Disaster Management.
LMI Water Projects coordination meeting. This meeting will be bheld to call for updates from each organization working on water related issues in the Lower Mekong region, and that has indicated they would attend either in person or by telephone. For groups not on the agenda that would like to provide an update, USGS will adjust the agenda at the beginning of the meeting to accommodate. There's a lot going on in, Mekong Basin and we hope you can join us for this information sharing meeting.
Pacific Command: 2012 Lower Mekong Countries Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief (HA/DR) Table Top Exercise (TTX)
Location: Vietnam
Description: This is a continuation of the 2011 LMCDM Workshop hosted in Vietnam
Objectives:
- Mitigate the consequences of natural disasters and environmental degradation
- Increase interoperability for conducting joint disaster relief missions
- Build confidence and planning capacity
- Cooperate with expertise from the interagency and NGOs
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