Distinguished delegates from our Member States,
Advisors, partners, colleagues and friends,
Good morning, and welcome to this meeting on "Advancing multisource collaborative surveillance” in our WHO South-East Asia region.
As we know, our region – like others – is not immune to health security threats. While our countries have made considerable progress in strengthening health security systems, the context and consequences of health emergencies are increasingly complex. Emergencies not only claim a considerable number of lives, but they also particularly affect the health and livelihood of the most vulnerable.
Through our experience of responding to the pandemics and emergencies, we have learnt critical lessons and identified the gaps in our health security systems. One important lesson learnt was that decision making to manage health emergencies should be informed by a synthesis of multiple sources of information.
In this context, the Seventy-fifth Session of our WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia adopted the “Regional strategic roadmap for health security and health system resilience for emergencies 2023 – 2027.” This Roadmap emphasizes strengthening the “collaborative public health intelligence through synthesizing and analyzing multisource information for risk assessment and response decision- making” as one of the key priority actions.
Considering this, and in line with the global call for “collaborative surveillance”, we, at the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia, have worked with our countries to promote multi-source collaborative surveillance. This approach requires strengthening of surveillance systems and capacities, and of collaboration among diverse stakeholders from multiple sectors.
This collaboration and timely sharing of information is also important internationally. Last year, countries achieved landmark agreement on amending the International Health Regulations (2005), providing renewed support for this global legal framework. However, we observe that countries still face challenges exchanging information in a timely manner. We must find the way to improve this, to better prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Strong laboratory systems are the backbone of effective surveillance, and so we must continue investing in sustainable diagnostic capacities.
Recognizing this, our WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia, together with our Member States, developed the Roadmap for Diagnostic Preparedness, integrated laboratory networking and genomic surveillance (2023–2027).
This aims to build resilient, quality-assured, and integrated laboratory networks across Member States. It prioritizes the expansion of genomic surveillance, integrated laboratory systems, and strengthened regulatory frameworks to enhance early detection, and response capabilities. Laboratory system strengthening is, of course, central to supporting multi-source collaborative surveillance.
I am pleased that countries in our region, through collaboration, are significantly advancing in strengthening laboratory-based surveillance:
Maldives, Bhutan, Timor Leste established in-country sequencing capacity
Indonesia expanded genomic sequencing
Nepal integrated diagnostics into its outbreak response framework, and
India established a pan-Indian pathogen genomics network
We must continue to embrace innovation and stronger regional collaboration. The future of health security in our region depends on sustainable investments in surveillance and laboratory capacities, timely data-sharing, and cross-sectoral partnerships.
I do hope, over the next three days, you will identify key priority actions to advance multisource collaborative surveillance. This will advance my vision of promoting regional and multi-sectoral collaboration (including among One Health stakeholders), and of using innovation to improve our public health.
My thanks to each of you for your dedication to the health of our people. I appreciate the wealth of experience and insight you carry with you and am so pleased to have you as our partners and allies in our common cause.
Thank you.