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Mongolia has signed-on to an
international set of standards for bringing information and help to
its citizens during a health crisis.
Meeting May 4 and 5, twenty
countries, including Mongolia, met in Kuala Lumpur to create a set of
operating standards in case of a national or international epidemic
or health crisis. The meeting was organized by UNESCO.
In what are being called the
“Kuala Lumpur Guidelines,” countries have pledged to act quickly
following the outbreak of a health crisis to inform their citizenry
about the situation and to disseminate information for citizens to protect
themselves and their families.
Much discussion was spent on
the varying ways in which peoples of differing cultures respond to receiving
information during a crisis. However, the participating countries agreed
that key to communicating with their citizens during a health crisis
is the need to have, “a clear and authoritative communication, transparent
and credible governance, communication plan, cross-boundary coordination,
monitoring and surveillance system, educating the public and collaborative
training initiatives,” according to the final memo.
Countries participating included
Iran, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, Poland,
Hungary, Madagascar, Mali, Ethiopia, China, India, Chile, France, Turkey,
Sudan, the Philippines, Jordan and Malaysia.
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