A/RES/59/27 Also noting with concern the recent outbreak of avian influenza, recognizing its impact on human health as well as on the economy, and welcoming the Joint Ministerial Statement on the Current Poultry Disease Situation, Welcoming the current success of the affected countries in combating the severe acute respiratory syndrome, which illustrates the importance of political commitment and strong leadership by affected countries and the role of the World Health Organization in controlling such epidemics, while mindful of the fact that the fight against new and re-emerging diseases such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome and avian influenza is far from over, Noting new initiatives at the global level responding to public health threats, such as the Global Outbreak Alert and the Response Network, which brings together more than one hundred and twenty partners to provide timely and high-quality technical support, Convinced that strengthening public health systems is critical to the development of all Member States, and that economic and social development are enhanced through measures that strengthen capacity-building in public health, including systems of prevention and of immunization against infectious diseases, Emphasizing that Member States have primary responsibility for strengthening their capacity-building in public health to detect and respond rapidly to outbreaks of major infectious diseases, through the establishment and improvement of effective public health mechanisms, while recognizing that the magnitude of the necessary response may be beyond the capabilities of many developing countries, Convinced that the control of outbreaks of diseases, particularly new diseases whose origins remain unknown, requires international and regional cooperation, and noting in this regard, inter alia, the holding of the fifty-fifth session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in Shanghai, China, from 13 to 17 September 2004, Recognizing the need for greater international and regional cooperation to meet new and existing challenges to public health, in particular in promoting effective measures such as safe, affordable and accessible vaccines, as well as assisting developing countries in securing vaccines against preventable infectious diseases and supporting the development of new vaccines, Recognizing also the expertise of the World Health Organization and its role in, inter alia, coordinating actions with Member States in the areas of information exchange, personnel training, technical support, resource utilization, the improvement of global public health preparedness and response mechanisms and stimulating and advancing work on the prevention, control and eradication of epidemic, endemic and other diseases, as well as the work of the World Health Organization office dedicated to communicable disease surveillance and response, Underscoring the continued importance of the International Health Regulations as an instrument for ensuring the maximum possible protection against the international spread of diseases with minimum interference in international traffic, and urging Member States to give high priority to the work on the revision of the Regulations, Welcoming the efforts of the World Health Organization, in cooperation with Member States, the United Nations system, the Bretton Woods institutions, the private sector and civil society, in enhancing capacity-building in global public health and in promoting public health at the country level, 2