Outcome statement | The Fourth Forum of WHO Collaborating Centres

Outcome statement of the Fourth Regional Forum of WHO Collaborating Centres in the Western Pacific

The Outcome Statement represents WHO and WHO Collaborating Centres’ commitment on how to move forward together after the Forum and beyond. Thank you to everyone who has already provided feedback on the Outcome Statement. For those of you who still wish to do so, please email your feedback to wprowhoccforum@who.int by Friday 18 November.

Preamble:

For the Future: Towards the Healthiest and Safest Region articulates a shared vision for WHO’s work with Member States and partners to make the Western Pacific the world’s healthiest and safest region. Aligned with the global WHO Thirteenth General Programme of Work, the regional vision, adopted in 2019, reflects the shared challenges arising from the unique demographic, economic, social and geographic characteristics of the Western Pacific. In 2021, the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific conducted a stocktaking review of the implementation of For the Future, which concluded that the vision is still valid and has even become more pressing because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. In response to the evolving global health landscape and the critical role of partnerships within and beyond the health sector in delivering results, and to accelerate the implementation of For the Future, WHO in the Region must continue to broaden and strengthen partnerships, and especially intensify its partnership with WHO Collaborating Centres (WHO CCs). WHO CCs provide instrumental technical support to WHO priorities and the WHO and WHO CC partnership is highly valued.

By convening together WHO CCs in Western Pacific Region at the Fourth WHO Regional Forum, the Forum enabled WHO and CCs to reflect on how they have worked together – since the previous Forum, the adoption of For the Future and throughout the COVID-19 response – to advance the regional vision. During the Forum, and using the lessons identified from the last 4 years, participants identified opportunities to maximize the contribution of WHO CCs in countries to respond to current and future health challenges. WHO and CCs then explored more effective ways of working together in the Region to accelerate implementation of For the Future.

We, the representatives of the WHO Collaborating Centres in the Western Pacific Region and the WHO Secretariat, participating in the Fourth Regional Forum of the WHO Collaborating Centres in the Western Pacific, organized in Siem Reap in November 2022, acknowledge that:

Considerable progress has been made since the first Forum to strengthen collaborative and strategic partnerships between WHO and CCs to address public health challenges. CCs have been brought together to understand WHO’s priorities, share best practices and strengthen partnerships amongst the CC network. CCs have made impressive contributions to WHO workplans, impact to countries and the advancement of For the Future implementation across the Region to address Member State priorities.

WHO and CCs recognize the value of innovative, integrated and cross-cutting approaches in driving country-level impact. By CCs coordinating and working together, as well as with WHO, it is an opportunity to strengthen the support delivered to WHO and its Member States.

Agree that:

1. WHO and CCs work together at the strategic planning stages to best leverage the breadth of expertise, capacities, networks and resources of the CCs to broaden CC contributions to accelerating implementation of For the Future.

2. WHO and CCs collaborative efforts will use the For the Future approaches (e.g., operational shifts) and emphasize a cross-cutting approach that focuses on strengthening elements of the health system (to benefit more than one area of work), for efficiency and sustainability. 

3. WHO and CCs also work on improving coordination between WHO and CCs for greater efficiency and impact in countries. WHO involves CCs in broader discussions about the work of WHO.

4. WHO and CCs work together to create an innovation ecosystem by bringing innovation (and the use of an innovation lens) to their collaborative efforts, including to reach partners beyond health.

5. WHO supports CCs to know / understand common issues across countries in the Region, to ensure efficient use of expertise and resources in delivering support to countries.