The 79th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia concluded today with Member States adopting landmark decisions to advance health equity, strengthen health systems and accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage. The four-day meeting brought together Health Ministers, senior health officials and delegates from across the WHO South-East Asia Region.
At the close of the meeting, Member States adopted the Dili Declaration on Human Resources for Health: Equity in Specialized Care and key resolutions on medical devices, diagnostics and assistive technology; health facility resilience; patient and blood safety; sustainable health financing; ending tuberculosis; and vaccine confidence and uptake to advance measles and rubella elimination. They also extended the regional action plan on viral hepatitis, HIV and sexually transmitted infections to 2030 and strengthened regional cooperation on digital health and artificial intelligence.
Equitable access to specialized care took centre stage in the Dili Declaration, which commits countries to address disparities in where specialized services and skilled health workers are available. It places workforce distribution, availability and competencies alongside stronger workforce planning and health-system capacity as essential to closing gaps in access. Member States endorsed the Declaration following the Ministerial Roundtable and agreed to review progress in 2027 and 2029, with a final report in 2030.
The Region also took a major step towards greater cooperation on digital health and artificial intelligence, establishing the South-East Asia Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence Collaborative Network (SEA-DAC). The network will bring countries together to share expertise, experience and practical approaches, strengthen digital health systems and advance responsible use of AI. It will complement wider regional efforts to accelerate digital health priorities, including through the Banyan Framework accelerator.
For the first time, medical devices, in vitro diagnostics and assistive technology featured as a dedicated Regional Committee agenda, culminating in a resolution that moves countries towards a life-cycle approach to access. The approach covers everything from essential and priority lists, health technology assessment and regulation to procurement, installation, maintenance, supply continuity and replacement. Countries will establish national leadership mechanisms by 2027, complete baseline assessments by 2028 and develop costed implementation plans by 2030, while tracking functionality, downtime, stock-outs and geographic equity.
Health facilities now withstand increasingly complex shocks, from disasters and disease outbreaks to climate-related events and other emergencies. A new resolution on health facility resilience calls for risk-based investment in infrastructure and critical systems such as water, energy, sanitation, oxygen, communications and supply chains. It also promotes climate-resilient and low-carbon facilities, digital connectivity, emergency preparedness and service continuity, with particular attention to Small Island Developing States and people in remote, island and other high-risk settings.
Safer care and safer blood will underpin stronger health systems following a resolution on patient and blood safety. Countries agreed to strengthen governance, legislation, financing and accountability, improve coordination of blood systems and expand equitable access to safe blood products. The resolution also advances incident reporting and learning, workforce capacity and quality improvement, while encouraging countries to measure and publicly report patient safety and quality indicators.
Member States agreed to sustainable financing for Health for All. The decision urges countries to strengthen sustainable and resilient financing, increase domestic investment in line with national circumstances and fiscal capacity, improve financial protection and sustainably finance comprehensive primary health care. It also encourages evidence-based priority-setting and strategic purchasing, supported by national health accounts and health technology assessment.
Adding urgency to close the gap to End TB, Member States renewed their commitment to end tuberculosis by 2030, with a stronger focus on rapid diagnosis, wider use of WHO-recommended diagnostics, active case finding and prevention, and people-centred treatment, including for drug-resistant TB. The resolution on TB also called for stronger domestic financing and social protection for people affected by TB.
Building trust in vaccines is critical to eliminating measles and rubella, Member States agreed in a resolution on vaccine confidence and uptake. Countries will strengthen access to quality immunization services, engage communities more effectively, track behavioural and social drivers of vaccination and identify and respond to misinformation. The approach gives particular attention to zero-dose and missed children and people living in remote, underserved and geographically dispersed communities.
The Region will continue its coordinated response to viral hepatitis, HIV and sexually transmitted infections after Member States extended the Integrated Regional Action Plan from 2026 to 2030. The extended plan strengthens surveillance and strategic information, diagnostic and treatment capacity at primary health-care and subnational levels, integrated prevention, testing and care, and efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B.
The decisions taken at the 79th Regional Committee give the Region a stronger platform to turn commitments into action — advancing equity, strengthening health systems and moving closer to Health for All, including for people living in remote, island, underserved and vulnerable communities.