Regional Director's Report

This Regional Director’s Report, covering the period from July 2019 to June 2020, is the second annual report from Dr Takeshi Kasai. It highlights how WHO in the Western Pacific Region has been responding to the largest, most challenging public health event in a hundred years, COVID-19, while simultaneously driving forward our vision to make the Western Pacific the healthiest and safest region.

In 2019, the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific endorsed For the Future: Towards the Healthiest and Safest Region as the regional vision.

For the Future recognizes that each country in the Western Pacific Region requires tailored support because they are all unique. At the same time, however, they all face four common challenges that pose significant risks to the health and well-being of their people: health security including antimicrobial resistance (AMR); noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and ageing; environmental health and the health impact of climate change; and reaching the unreached.

The emergence of COVID-19 changed the trajectory of our work immediately. Discussions about the links between the programmes we knew we had to maintain and our COVID-19 response led to the formulation of a regional COVID-19 strategy: Responding to COVID-19 as we drive the vision of For the Future. This framework details how we can enlist our whole Organization to leverage all parts of health systems, drive the vision of For the Future, foster partnerships and build the capacity of countries and our Organization as we respond to COVID-19.

WHO and Member States in the Western Pacific Region have worked together over the years to prepare for public health emergencies. The past six months have undoubtedly been the most challenging times for our health, economy and security. However, the culture of learning, improving and continuously strengthening health systems, guided by the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases and Public Health Emergencies (APSED III), and the commitment to work and support each other have enabled the entire Region to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and move forward together in a “new normal” for the future.

WHO’s response in the Region can be described under seven functions:

1. facilitate information-sharing and keep Member States and the public informed;
2. assess data and develop guidance;
3. provide technical support in countries;
4. support logistics;
5. coordinate research and development;
6. facilitate partnership; and
7. fight misinformation.

To ensure effective implementation, the WHO Regional Office put into effect a whole-of-Organization approach that goes beyond the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, drawing resources and expertise from different technical divisions and forming agile teams to catalyse lessons and innovate systems, tools and processes for the COVID-19 response. This approach enabled WHO to mount a speedy and steady response in the Region and ensure the resilience of its operations throughout the pandemic.

WHO in the Western Pacific Region supports countries through seven broad areas of work:

• Data, Strategy and Innovation
• Health Systems and Services
• Healthy Populations and Environments
• Programmes for Disease Control
• Health Security and Emergencies
• Pacific Technical Support
• Leadership, management and administration
  

Each team has made significant steps towards making the Western Pacific the healthiest, safest Region, while also responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the Future notes that, because the Western Pacific Region is rapidly changing and extremely dynamic, WHO must work today to address the challenges of the future. The arrival of COVID-19 catapulted us into the future we envisioned faster than we expected.

Investing in health is the path that will help us protect our people and bring back our economies. COVID-19 has brought untold tragedy to the Region. But it also brings opportunity to make our future a better one and see more clearly what we want to avoid. It has highlighted, once again, the strength and value of the Western Pacific’s solidarity.

As we continue to respond to COVID-19, we must pursue our journey that can lead us to the new future, in which health, environment and economy are inseparable, and real investment backs commitments to make the Western Pacific the world’s safest and healthiest region.