WHO Director-General's remarks at the introduction to the Regional Director’s Annual Report on the Work of WHO in the South-East Asia Region - 7 September 2026

Chair, Honourable Minister Dr Elia dos Reis Amaral,

Honourable Ministers, Ambassadors and Heads of Delegation,

Officer-in-Charge Dr Nilesh Buddha,

Dear colleagues and friends,

My thanks again to the Government and people of Timor Leste, for their warm hospitality and longstanding commitment to health, and to the World Health Organization.

I commend Member States, and our regional and country offices, for the remarkable achievements outlined in the Regional Director's report, which Dr Buddha has summarized, and which I will not repeat.

But in every country in this Region, there are successes to celebrate and challenges to confront.

Despite one of the most difficult years for global health in recent memory, this region continued to make impressive progress.

I congratulate Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Timor Leste for their success in achieving disease elimination milestones.

I commend Bangladesh and Nepal for their achievements in HPV vaccination;

India for its leadership in digital surveillance;

Thailand for expanding health coverage to stateless populations;

I commend DPR Korea and Sri Lanka for their efforts to strengthen health security;

And Myanmar for expanding treatment for people with TB, while maintaining treatment continuity for HIV, hepatitis and more.

The region has also made impressive progress against noncommunicable diseases, including through the

SEAHEARTS initiative, expanding treatment for hypertension to 94 million people.

And as Dr Buddha mentioned, I especially commend Maldives for becoming the first country in the world to introduce a generational tobacco ban.

Countries have also expanded access to diagnostics, strengthened workforce planning, advanced health financing reforms and accelerated the integration of mental health services into primary care.

It's also encouraging to see progress on breastfeeding, healthier diets, healthier cities and healthier ageing, mental health, and vaccination.

Immunization coverage also continued to recover and grow;

The number of zero-dose children declined substantially;

And the region maintained its hard-won status as free of polio and maternal and neonatal tetanus.

I am also encouraged by the many countries who are making progress on digital health, including Bangladesh, with its national digital health blueprint, and India's integrated surveillance systems.

At the same time, the Region has continued to strengthen emergency preparedness.

Laboratory and genomic surveillance systems have expanded;

Field epidemiology capacity has grown;

National action plans for health security have advanced;

And public health intelligence systems have strengthened the Region's ability to detect and respond rapidly to emerging threats.

The response to the earthquake in Myanmar demonstrated both the scale of the challenges we face and the value of regional and global solidarity.

Even amid conflict and humanitarian crisis, WHO and its partners continued to support millions of people with essential health services.

These are not isolated achievements.

They are evidence of sustained political leadership, strong public health systems, and unwavering commitment by health workers and communities.

The achievements in this region show what is possible when countries lead, partners align and WHO delivers as one.

The new Banyan Framework adopted by this region captures that spirit well.

It recognizes that progress in the years ahead will require sharper focus, stronger partnerships and more integrated approaches to health.

As we implement the Fourteenth General Programme of Work, this region is already showing what it means to promote, provide and protect health.

You are helping to build health systems that are stronger, more resilient and more equitable.

You are demonstrating that progress remains possible even in a constrained environment.

And you are helping to shape a future in which all people can live healthier, safer and more hopeful lives.

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Honourable Ministers, Heads of Delegation, dear colleagues and friends,

The agenda before you this week reflects many of the priorities that will shape the region's future.

You will discuss how to strengthen the health workforce and improve equity in access to specialized care.

You will consider strategies to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals, including action on sustainable financing for health.

You will examine new approaches to disease elimination and tuberculosis control;

How to strengthen the resilience of health facilities in the face of emergencies and climate threats;

And explore how digital health and artificial intelligence can help countries achieve better health outcomes.

Of course, you are meeting against the backdrop of a very difficult period for the region, and for the world.

International financing for health has contracted, and many countries are facing fiscal constraints, political challenges and climate-related threats. What happened in Nepal is one serious example.

The past year has been one of profound change for WHO itself.

The cuts to international health financing came suddenly, but they did not come unexpectedly.

Although the cuts we faced were a shock, they were a shock we had predicted, and prepared for.

When we began the WHO Transformation in 2017, we identified our over-reliance on a handful of donors as a major risk.

We proposed a plan, approved in 2022, to raise assessed contributions to 50 percent of the base budget from just 20 percent at the time - and the support from this region has been exceptional.

As you know, the first increase came in 2023, the second in 2025, and three more are planned for 2027, 2029 and 2031.

We also broadened our donor base through the WHO Foundation and our first Investment Round - and I thank the Member States from this region that contributed.

These measures are helping to make WHO more resilient, more sustainable and more independent, and they helped to cushion the impact of the cuts we faced last year, although they could not insulate us fully.

As I said this morning, we have now completed the process of prioritization and realignment, and we are moving forward as an Organization that is right-sized, more focused and better equipped to serve Member States.

We have mobilized 92 percent of the resources needed for the base budget in the current biennium - 2026-2027.

We have never been in a better position at this stage of a biennium.

But because most voluntary contributions remain earmarked, pockets of poverty persist in parts of our work.

At the same time, we must remember that WHO is only one part of the broader global health architecture.

The financing shocks of the past year exposed weaknesses across that architecture that can no longer be ignored.

At the World Health Assembly in May, Member States tasked the Secretariat with hosting a joint process of reforming the global health architecture that is country-centred, inclusive and transparent.

The goal is simple: a system that is more effective, more coherent, more accountable and more responsive to country priorities.

A Task Force has now been established and will report later this year.

WHO approaches this task with humility, as a convener of equals.

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Honourable Ministers, dear colleagues and friends,

As fiscal pressures grow and external financing becomes more uncertain, we must strengthen domestic investment in health as the most reliable and sustainable path to universal health coverage.

This morning, as you remember, I made four requests for building a stronger and more sustainably financed WHO.

Now I would like to leave you with three requests, in line with the three priorities of the 14th General Programme of Work.

First, to promote health, and prevent disease.

The region has shown global leadership in tobacco control, breastfeeding, immunization and disease prevention.

But the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases demands even greater action.

Continued investment in tobacco control, healthy diets, physical activity, maternal and child health, and other proven prevention measures will be essential to reducing preventable illness and saving lives.

Second, to provide health, I urge Member States to invest in strong, equitable and sustainable health systems - and especially in primary health care as the foundation of universal health coverage.

These investments are not only investments in health; they are investments in economic growth, stability and social development.

And third, to protect health, I urge Member States to continue strengthening preparedness, health security and resilience.

The region faces an evolving range of threats, from disease outbreaks and humanitarian crises to natural disasters and the health impacts of climate change.

The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a reminder that the best time to prepare for the next emergency is before it arrives.

Continued investment in surveillance, laboratory systems, emergency workforces, resilient health facilities and community preparedness will help ensure countries are ready for whatever challenges lie ahead.

WHO remains fully committed to supporting all Member States to delivering on these priorities.

A strong WHO will be essential in the years and decades ahead, so I remind you of my requests this morning to build a sustainably financed, resilient and independent WHO, focused on its core mandate.

I look forward to continuing to work with Member States, with the Regional Office, and with colleagues across the region as together we promote, provide and protect health for the people of South-East Asia and beyond.

Obrigado. I thank you.