Assembled Experts
Partners, Colleagues and Friends
Honorable Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India
Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization
South-East Asia Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group
National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups from our Member States
Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication
Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination
National EPI programme managers,
Representatives from Ministries of Health of our Member States
Representatives of partner agencies
Participants, colleagues and friends.
Good morning, and welcome to the 16th Meeting of the South-East Asia Immunization Technical Advisory Group.
I am pleased to start by noting that in 2024, more children were vaccinated than ever before in our Region.
According to the WHO-UNICEF estimates released on 15 July 2025, coverage with 3 doses of Pentavalent vaccine (expressed as DTP3) reached 92%, while coverage with the first and second dose of measles containing vaccine reached 95% and 90% respectively.
The final doses of pneumococcal conjugate and rotavirus vaccines were at 88% and 77% coverage.
The human papillomavirus or HPV vaccine coverage surged, from 8% in 2023 to 48% in 2024.
But gaps remain.
Zero-dose children (not having received any of the vaccines eligible for) remain substantial—1.9 million in 2024.
Measles outbreaks in India Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand have exposed fragility in immunization equity and routine services.
Subnational outbreaks of diphtheria in Bangladesh and India show the need for catchup vaccination in older children and adolescents.
The low hepatitis B birth dose coverage at 58% bears the risk of chronic infection; with serious health complications later in life.
Friends,
It is no secret we are working in an environment of decreasing finances and increasing risks. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development or OECD reports a 7.1% drop in total official development assistance in 2024, the first decline in six years.
Gavi has secured US$9 billion for its next strategy covering 2025-2030, against a budget of US$11.9 billion, a notable shortfall.
This puts serious risks to decades of progress in combating communicable diseases and the respective health outcomes, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Long term investments into immunization, a strong catalysts for primary health care, are put at jeopardy.
Despite this backdrop, new opportunities exist.
Gavi’s Strategy 6.0 revolves around equity, with a focus on zero-dose children and fragile settings.
It integrates climate resilience, streamlines the operating model, and expands the vaccine portfolio — including new vaccines for dengue and, potentially, tuberculosis.
It also encourages innovations in financing, through development banks and private partnerships.
This shows a way forward for our region, through:
Equity-first targeting of urban slums, remote areas, displaced groups, and school linked catch-up immunization.
Scaling HPV vaccination by integrating with school health days, also allowing simple defaulter tracing.
Portfolio optimization, pacing delivery based on finances and cold-chain readiness.
Maintaining high-quality measles/rubella and polio surveillance for timely detection of and response to outbreaks.
Building climates mart delivery systems.
Accessing finance beyond grants, through multilateral development banks, UNICEF long-term agreements for supply, and such.
And finally, using data and digital tools such as child registries, GIS mapping and more.
Friends,
The reduction in zero-dose children between 2023 and 2024, and the rapid scale-up of HPV coverage show us what is possible.
The road ahead will not be easy to navigate, but we can do it if we—governments, partners and communities—work together and set clear and strategic goals and priorities
On that note, I wish you a successful and productive meeting.
Thank you.