Good morning, good afternoon and good evening, it is a pleasure to host this Regional Side Event of the Global Evidence-to-Policy Summit.
The theme of today’s forum is “knowledge translation management”, with a focus on identifying common challenges and lessons learned, and advancing evidence-informed decision-making throughout the COVID-19 response and into the recovery and beyond.
In the South-East Asia Region, after every major emergency, it is WHO’s practice to systematically identify and share lessons learned, and to apply those lessons to strengthen emergency risk management – one of the Region’s eight Flagship Priorities.
We do this because high-impact public health policy must be evidence-based, context-specific and informed by real-world experience – inputs that are especially important when preparing for and responding to public health emergencies.
Last month, WHO held two meetings with precisely this focus as it relates to the COVID-19 response – one with experts and researchers, and the other with Member State representatives.
Both cohorts identified several themes in common, including the need to strengthen the evidence-to-policy process, and to more effectively produce, synthesize and utilize knowledge – the outcome you are invited to advance.
In particular, while the Region has made tremendous strides in strengthening risk communication and community engagement, there is a clear need to accelerate this process.
Community ownership, action and engagement is at the heart of the knowledge-translation nexus, and of the Region’s primary health care approach to building health system resilience and achieving universal health coverage – another of our Flagship Priorities, and the key to creating a fairer, healthier Region for all.
In all areas of knowledge translation management, WHO and its Member States and partners will benefit from establishing a more systematic knowledge repository – a repository that strengthens coordination and collaboration between knowledge producers, such as researchers, and knowledge users, such as policy makers.
In pursuing that objective, I highlight three priorities.
First, increasing Region-wide collection and analysis of accurate data that are of good quality, are timely, and can be translated into policy and action.
To be effective, our knowledge warehouse must be user-friendly, and must be easily accessed by decision-makers as they navigate day-to-day challenges.
Second, strengthening the quality of research and ensuring it is aligned with globally accepted practices and standards for methodologies and ethics.
To be impactful, research must be aligned with public health priorities, including our Flagship Priorities, the “triple billion” targets and Sustainable Development Goals.
And third, building a robust network of knowledge-to-policy experts that can help institutionalize evidence-informed policy-making, while also strengthening partnerships and collaboration, both regionally and globally.
To be successful, we must leverage the full impact of our shared expertise and experience, applying it for the common good.
I once again thank you for your participation, look forward to your recommendations, and assure you of WHO’s ongoing support in strengthening evidence-informed decision-making throughout the COVID-19 response and into the recovery and beyond.
Thank you.