WHO South-East Asia Flagship Priorities. Our Journey Together. Our Journey Ahead - 2023

Overview

Fresh commitments to end poverty, suffering and disease, endorsed by every government in every part of the world at the turn of the century, marked the beginning of a new and unprecedentedly ambitious chapter in international efforts to advance human well-being. The United Nations adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000 that were focused on some of the most fundamental health and development-related concerns. In addition, the international community joined together to create the Global Fund to fight what at the turn of the century were the deadliest pandemics confronting humanity: HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. GAVI – the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization – was formed to improve access to life-saving vaccines for children living in some of the world’s poorest regions.

These global agendas and initiatives were followed by the overarching Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Framework in 2016. The health goal in the Framework was broad and, to achieve it, the SDG Declaration emphasized that the world must ensure universal health coverage (UHC) and access to quality health care. In the WHO South-East Asia (SE Asia) Region, the Regional Flagship Priority Programmes have served as an additional accelerator in this journey towards human health and development.

The WHO South-East Asia Region is home to over a quarter of the world’s population. Consisting of 11 countries, the Region bears a disproportionate share of both poverty and the global disease burden. Any meaningful progress to improve human health and development must, therefore, prioritize accelerated gains in this Region. Committed to building a better, healthier future for the nearly two billion people living in the Region, WHO has engaged with all 11 Member States in addressing persisting and emerging epidemiological and demographic challenges.

The Region, accounting for nearly 26% of the global disease burden, faces multiple challenges. Government spending on health as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) is lower in the Region than the global average. The proportion of out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) among total health expenditure in the Region is higher compared to other parts of the world, placing a tremendous financial burden on individuals and families. In addition, countries in the Region are prone to natural disasters, disease outbreaks and health risks accentuated by the unfolding phenomenon of climate change.

Tackling health challenges in the Region is not just a question of size and scale but requires an unflagging commitment to “leave no one behind”. Promoting health for all through the pathway of UHC and building robust health systems feature high on the global agenda. While aligning itself with these global-level priorities, the unique challenge in South-East Asia demands that the Region carefully crafts its own roadmap to advance towards the goal of ensuring health for its people.