Abstract

Regardless of how strong a country’s national health system is, it is only as good as its neighbours’. National borders are not able to withstand the threat posed by pandemics and infectious diseases. Hence, there is a need for countries to focus on regional cooperation, as part of the larger strategy in responding to the global infectious disease crises. The two-day conference on ‘Strengthening Health and Non-Health Response Systems in Asia: A Sustained Approach for Responding to Global Infectious Disease Crises’ was organised by the RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies to explore avenues for global linkages, to achieve preparedness and to develop efficient response systems, as well as to reflect on

gaps and challenges with a view to building stronger health systems and global strategies for coping with infectious disease crises.