Distinguished Participants
Partners, Colleagues and Friends
A very good morning to you all. I am pleased to speak to you today at this Biennial Scientific Conference, as you gather to discuss "Advancing Paradigms in Life-Saving Technology.” I extend my thanks to the organizers for creating this platform, and for setting a theme which is crucial to the future of the health of our communities.
Our WHO South-East Asia Region is home to a quarter of all humanity, and faces multiple factors that heighten vulnerability to a range of emerging health threats.
High population density, rapid and unplanned urbanization, climate variability, and socio-economic challenges - including rising social inequities - pose significant challenges.
Over the past decade, our region has experienced some of the world’s most severe health crises, from the COVID-19 pandemic to recurrent outbreaks of viral respiratory pathogens, dengue, cholera and zoonotic diseases.
This is further complicated by the issue of antimicrobial resistance, which undermines our ability to treat infections successfully. This is a stark and serious public health risk which we dare not ignore.
Our region is also highly vulnerable to natural disasters, and the escalating effects of climate change and extreme weather events. These introduce multiple health threats, including the spread of communicable diseases, and the emergence of previously unknown infectious diseases.
These challenges place severe strain on healthcare infrastructure, displace vulnerable communities, and contribute to a vicious cycle of risk that compounds the region’s vulnerabilities.
In this challenging landscape, global, regional, and national policies form the foundation for reducing the health, societal, and economic impacts of emerging threats.
At the policy level, our primary commitment is to reinforce the International Health Regulations - or IHR 2005. Drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, and as recommended by the 74th Session of our Regional Committee, we have developed our Regional Roadmap on Health Security and Health System Resilience for Emergencies 2023-2027.
This roadmap complements IHR 2005 by setting goals to strengthen national and regional health security and resilience systems, protecting populations from the impacts of all-hazard threats.
To support early detection and response, we have a dedicated roadmap on diagnostic preparedness and laboratory networking. This ensures readiness for timely identification and containment of health threats.
We are also investing in early detection systems and cross-border collaboration, to swiftly identify and control outbreaks.
The scientific community has played a vital role in advancing technologies to address the challenges of our time.
Recent innovations - such as AI, portable PCR machines, mRNA vaccines, and drone delivery of vaccines or medical kits - show the transformative potential of life-saving technologies. When integrated into equitable health systems, they have the capacity to revolutionize global efforts in preparedness, response, and recovery.
WHO encourages scientific communities and industries to work together to develop and improve these tools and technologies, to make them accessible and scalable for wider coverage. Partnerships between researchers, innovators and industry can ensure they reach underserved and high-risk populations.
Equally, WHO urges countries to develop policies and frameworks for collaborations that foster innovation and the use of technology, and investments in R&D. This, together with incentivizing public-private partnerships, is essential for creating a sustainable ecosystem where life-saving technologies can be created and deployed.
We must also establish governance systems to guide the proper use of these innovations. Regulatory frameworks must ensure the safe, ethical and equitable deployment of technology. They must also address challenges such as data privacy and cybersecurity.
In closing, I would like to reaffirm my personal commitment to support our member states to create, access and deploy technology and innovations. This is one of pillars of our Regional Roadmap for Results and Resilience, and our South-East Asia Regional Office is committed to its implementation and success.
I would like to thank you all for your dedication to the advancement of health technology and wish you productive deliberations in the days ahead.
Thank you.