Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region Intervention during156th Session of the WHO Executive Board

3 February 2025

EB156 Agenda 03 – Report of the regional committees to the Executive Board 

Report of the 77th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia, New Delhi, India, 7–9 October 2024

Hon’ble Chair, Excellencies, Director-General and Colleagues, 

  • The 77th Session of Regional Committee for South-East Asia was held in New Delhi, India, from 7 to 9 October 2024, under the Chairpersonship of the honourable Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, who emphasized the need to “harness the power of collaboration, innovation and solidarity to transform the health landscape of the South-East Asia Region and build a healthier, brighter future for all”. The hon’ble Ministers of Health from Bhutan and Timor-Leste were elected as the two Vice-Chairpersons. 

  • I expressed gratitude to our Member States for accepting my vision and refining it into a tangible, practical roadmap for implementation – a roadmap “created, modified, refined and crafted by the representatives of a quarter of all humanity”. 

  • During my first Annual Report, the Committee recognized the many achievements of our Member States and of WHO, throughout 2023. The collaboration and cooperation, between countries, and between WHO regional offices, is instrumental in improving the health of all.  

  • The Director-General’s vision and commitments were well received by our Member States. 

  • The Committee adopted four resolutions and two decisions, including the Ministerial Declaration on adolescent-responsive health systems. The Declaration emphasises cross-sectoral commitment for the physical, mental and social well-being of adolescents, enhancing financial and human resource mobilization and allocation, and promoting research to integrate evidence-based, adolescent-responsive or adolescent-friendly elements into health systems. 

  • I am proud to announce that for WHO Investment Round, our Member States and key partner organizations pledged over USD 345 million, including important in-kind contributions. 

  • The Committee, vide its resolutions: 

  1. SEA/RC77/R2, agreed to increase the corpus of the South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund to US dollars 3 million; and 

  1. SEA/RC77/R3, urged Member States to achieve the elimination of Measles and Rubella in the Region by 2026. 

  • The Committee also endorsed the “Strategic Plan for measles and rubella elimination and sustenance in the WHO South-East Asia Region 2024–2028”. 

  • Member States congratulated the Secretariat for producing the ninth Annual Report on monitoring progress towards achieving UHC and the health-related SDGs, which focused on strengthening human resources for health. The Committee also appreciated the progress report on seven of its past resolutions and decisions. 

  • Member States of the Region were felicitated for their excellent achievements: 

  1. Bhutan, achieving interim targets for cervical cancer elimination; 

  1. India, eliminating trachoma; 

  1. Timor-Leste, eliminating lymphatic filariasis; 

  1. Maldives and Sri Lanka, for Hepatitis B control in children; and 

  1. Bhutan, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand for achieving SDG and global targets for reducing under five mortality and still-birth rates. 

  • On Indonesia’s request to transfer its membership of the Organization to the Western Pacific Region, other Member States recognized Indonesia as a valued Member of the Region, considered the continued partnership and regional solidarity of over 7 decades, and thus requested Indonesia to reconsider. However, on Indonesia’s reaffirmation of its wish, Member States respected Indonesia’s decision. 

  • On the Agenda related to the WHO Leadership positions, Member State Co-Leads, Mr José Acacio from Australia; and Mr Ding Yang from China addressed the Committee. Member States commended the initiatives to strengthen transparency and accountability. The Committee supported the proposed measures on nomination and appointment of RDs, and agreed to establish an evaluation group to assess the suitability and qualifications of candidates for RD. 

Hon’ble Chair and Excellencies, 

  • In closing, I reiterate my words, “if your cause is improving the health of your people, I will stand by you, the South-East Asia Regional Office will stand by you and the World Health Organization will stand by you. Remember, the best antidote for crises is cooperation”. 

  • I thank you.