Strengthening public health emergency preparedness and response in the South-East Asia Region
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World Health Organization. Regional Office for South-East Asia
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Strengthening health emergency preparedness and response is one of the most important health priorities in our Region. Emergency risk management is one of the Regional Flagship Priority Programmes of South-East Asia Region since their inception in 2014. The Delhi Declaration on Emergency Preparedness in the South-East Asia Region was endorsed by the honourable health ministers of the Region at the Seventy-second session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia in 2019. In the same session, the Five-year Regional Strategic Plan to strengthen public health preparedness and response 2019–2023 as well as Risk Communication Strategy for Public Health Emergencies in the WHO South-East Asia Region 2019–2023 were launched. Member States in the Region have made considerable progress in advancing theInternational Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) for health emergency preparedness and response. Countries have fully utilized the existing core capacities to respond to the unprecedented ongoing pandemic to control transmission and save lives. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that the current level of preparedness is not sufficient to effectively manage severe health emergencies such as this pandemic. This Working Paper reviews progress in advancing public health emergency preparedness and response in the Region and summarizes lessons learnt from the COVID-19 response. Combined with the recommendations from global review panels, strategicpriorities are identified for consideration by Member States as regional priorities to further strengthen health security systems. Building national health security systems linked to resilient health systems and a whole of-society arrangement requires long-term vision, committed political leadership and sustainable financing. While the response to COVID-19 continues, Member States, WHO and other partners must work together to identify priority actions to further strengthen health emergency preparedness and response capacities to more effectively respond to the ongoing pandemic and prepare for future pandemics, emergencies and disasters.This Working Paper was submitted to the High-Level Preparatory Meeting for its review and recommendations. The recommendations made by the HLP Meeting are as follows:Actions by Member States• Continue to advance implementation of the International Heath Regulations (IHR2005), including through strengthening core capacities, embedded in health systems, and through implementing national action plans for health security; as well as ensuring early detection and notification of potential public health emergencies of international concern. • Actively participate in the global “Working Group to strengthen WHO preparednessand response” in order to collectively take action to improve the global health security architecture.• Contribute in developing a regional roadmap to strengthen health security in the South-East Asia Region, building on key lessons learnt and challenges identified from the COVID-19 pandemic response. Actions by WHO• Continue to provide relevant policy advice, technical assistance and logistic support to Member States towards achieving effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic and to further strengthen core capacities of Member States mandated by IHR (2005).• Facilitate further synthesis of the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 response at a regional level along with the recommendations of the global panels and committees,and work with Member States to develop a regional roadmap to strengthen health security in the South-East Asia Region. • Collaborate with Member States to strengthen the regional alert, preparedness and response systems, including mechanisms for rapid information sharing, and bolster the regional strategic stockpile of key health commodities. This Working Paper and the HLP Meeting recommendations are submitted to the Seventy-fourth Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia for itsconsideration and decision.