In October 2003 APEC established the Health Task Force (HTF) to address health-related threats to economies' trade and security, focusing mainly on emerging infectious diseases, including naturally occurring and man-made diseases.
In 2006 the Senior Officials' Steering Committee on ECOTECH (SCE) conducted a review of APEC working groups and task forces and recommended that the HTF be transformed into the Health Working Group(HWG).. The establishment of the HWG was endorsed by APEC Ministers in September 2007. The first meeting of the HWG was held in Lima, Peru on 21-22 February 2008 and new terms of reference and a 2008 work plan were approved.
Economy Leaders also agreed to support the sharing of influenza specimens in a timely manner and to promote transparent, fair and equitable access to vaccines and other benefits that derive from them.
Also in August, on the occasion of the second APEC HWG meeting, the revised Terms of Reference and the Medium Term Workplan, which include a specific reference to the International Health Regulations, were officially endorsed.
At the same meeting, HWG member economies endorsed a process for future management of project assessment and prioritization consistent with the APEC Quality Assessment Framework Guidelines and agreed that this process would be reviewed after twelve months.
