As the Western Pacific Region celebrates remarkable achievements in health-related Millennium Development Goals, the Region continues to face complex public health challenges from escalating health-care costs and widening social and economic inequities to persistent risks of new infections and climate change-related diseases. Meanwhile, ageing populations, urbanization and changing life-styles continue to fuel a pandemic of noncommunicable diseases.

As WHO works to support Member States to meet these challenges, the Organization will not be able to meet these challenges without the support of accomplished and resourced national institutions in the Region.

With more than 190 WHO collaborating centres located in 10 Member States in Western Pacific Region, collaborating centres network set up by WHO supports its programmatic mandate at country, regional and global levels. These institutions are indispensable partners in advancing WHO technical work.

Given the changing landscape and unprecedented magnitude of public health challenges, we must explore new ways of working together and strengthening the strategic nature of the partnerships between WHO and collaborating centres.

The Forum provides an opportunity for collective deliberation to achieve more effective and accountable partnerships.