Overview

The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges to overall health globally and in the Area. To additional correctly handle present and future epidemics, pandemics and emergencies, Member States, WHO and partners ought to perform collectively to recognize the crucial learnings from the pandemic to prioritize action in bolstering overall health safety systems. In the South-East (SE) Asia Area, the WHO Regional Workplace has facilitated synthesis of the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the improvement of the Regional Strategic Roadmap on overall health safety and overall health technique resilience for emergencies 2023–2027 incorporating the lessons learnt.

A meeting on ‘Strengthening public overall health surveillance and danger assessment for overall health safety threats in the WHO SE Asia Region’ was organized to recognize prevalent priority regional actions associated to surveillance, danger assessment and field epidemiology. This report summarizes discussions and outcomes of the meeting, with crucial directions for the efforts and investment to advance overall health safety and implementation of the International Wellness Regulations (2005).