Distinguished Delegates,
Esteemed Partners, Colleagues, and Friends,
Good morning.
Welcome to this Regional Consultation on the findings of the Second Global Assessment of SCORE for Health Data.
Over the years, we have made great progress in strengthening national health information systems (HIS) across our WHO South-East Asia Region. Through our combined efforts with our Member States and our partners, we are increasingly seeing high-quality data being generated, analysed, disseminated and used.
This Regional Consultation today gives us an opportunity to reflect on the progress made, and to chart a path forward to strengthen health data systems and capacities in our region.
Health information systems not only facilitate evidence-based decision making, but they also help countries identify gaps and areas that require priority attention. These systems help countries target their investments effectively and ensure that resources are directed towards the most pressing challenges.
Our region is, as you know, guided our strategic framework set by our Regional Roadmap for Results and Resilience. Led by countries, the roadmap promotes holistic, equitable, innovative, and sustainable approaches to our work. It is now important that we align our efforts for stronger health information with this roadmap.
Data is the driver behind our 21st century economies. It fuelled the digital transformation of the past decades and is today the bedrock of the AI age. It touches every aspect of our Regional Roadmap and is particularly central to our goal of using access to innovation and technology to improve the health of our people.
As you know, the SCORE for Health Data Technical Package, developed by WHO and partners, supports countries to strengthen national data systems, monitor progress toward SDGs, Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and other national health priorities.
The five key Interventions of SCORE—Survey, Count, Optimize, Review, and Enable— are a framework for evidence-based principles to improve the availability and accessibility of health data.
Since its launch in 2018, the SCORE technical package has enabled countries:
to identify and prioritize HIS strengthening interventions that are feasible, scalable, and sustainable;
to apply evidence-based global standards and best practices aimed at data collection, quality, analytics and use; and
to continuously monitor progress using standardized core indicators, ensuring that investments in health data systems lead to measurable improvements over time.
I am pleased to note that every country in our region successfully participated in the second SCORE for Health Global Assessment. The findings will not only help countries refine their strategies and policies but will also contribute to shaping the global agenda on data for health in the post-SDG era.
Colleagues,
Strengthening national health data systems is fundamental to building resilient health systems, as prioritized in our Regional Roadmap. Reliable and timely data enables health systems to be better prepared to respond to emerging challenges, and to meet the needs of their populations.
We have the power to ensure that these data systems actively contribute to building stronger, more equitable, and sustainable health systems.
The timing of this Consultation is particularly significant. As we reach the end of the SDG agenda and look beyond 2030, the need for high-quality, timely, and actionable data has never been greater. Your outcomes from this meeting will inform future priorities for national health data systems, and will also lay the groundwork for more effective, knowledge sharing and policymaking across our region.
I would like to convey my thanks and appreciation to the Government of Thailand for hosting this event.
My gratitude also to all our Member States, development partners, and stakeholders – your continued commitment and collaboration has greatly advanced the SCORE agenda across our region.
I hope you have a productive meeting, and I look forward to being appraised of the outcomes.
Thank you.