Dili, September 8, 2026: The World Health Organization has called on countries across South-East Asia to increase domestic investment in health as governments confront rising fiscal pressures and growing uncertainty around external financing.

Speaking as health ministers and senior officials gather in Dili for the 79th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted both the region’s health achievements and the challenges that remain.

The annual regional meeting, being hosted by Timor-Leste from September 7 to 10, brings together representatives from the WHO South-East Asia Region, which is home to nearly two billion people. Discussions are focused on improving access to health services, tackling major diseases, strengthening health systems and preparing for future health emergencies.

Disease Elimination Milestones Bring Encouragement

Tedros praised several countries for progress against diseases that have historically placed a heavy burden on communities.

Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Timor-Leste were recognized for reaching important disease-elimination milestones. Bhutan recently became the first country in the WHO South-East Asia Region to have the elimination of dog-transmitted human rabies validated by WHO.

Thailand has also achieved a significant milestone. WHO recently verified the country for eliminating rubella as a public health problem, making Thailand the seventh country in the region to reach rubella elimination. Four countries in the region have now eliminated both measles and rubella.

These achievements demonstrate how sustained immunization, disease surveillance, community participation and long-term government commitment can produce measurable public-health gains.

HPV Vaccination and Digital Health Highlighted

The WHO leadership also pointed to expanding HPV vaccination programmes in Bangladesh and Nepal as an important step toward preventing cervical cancer.

India was commended for its leadership in digital surveillance, reflecting the growing importance of technology and health information systems in detecting health threats and supporting faster responses.

WHO has increasingly emphasized digital health across the region. A recent regional collaboration involving India is focused on using digital technologies and artificial intelligence to strengthen primary care and improve prevention and management of noncommunicable diseases.

Wider Access and Health Security Remain Priorities

Thailand was recognized for efforts to extend health coverage to stateless populations, while DPR Korea and Sri Lanka were highlighted for strengthening health security.

Myanmar was also commended for maintaining tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis treatment despite extremely difficult circumstances.

The emphasis on maintaining essential services during crises reflects a broader WHO approach: resilient health systems must be able to respond to emergencies without abandoning routine care.

WHO’s regional work on pandemic preparedness similarly stresses the importance of surveillance, laboratories, trained health workers, emergency coordination and community engagement.

Three Priorities for Health Ministers

Tedros urged health ministers to focus on three broad areas.

First, prevention. Governments should strengthen measures addressing tobacco use, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity while continuing to prioritize maternal and child health.

Second, primary health care. Strong frontline services should remain the foundation of equitable and sustainable health systems. WHO’s regional strategy identifies effective primary health care as essential to achieving universal health coverage by 2030.

Third, preparedness. Countries need stronger disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, emergency workforces, resilient health facilities and communities capable of responding to health emergencies.

Domestic Financing Becomes Increasingly Important

The call for greater domestic investment comes as health systems face a changing international financing environment.

WHO has warned globally about the consequences of declining external development assistance and has encouraged countries to identify ways of creating additional fiscal space for health. At the regional level, WHO’s own analysis also emphasizes the importance of mobilizing domestic resources as countries work to make disease-control programmes more sustainable.

For South-East Asian countries, the challenge is therefore not simply to expand health spending but to ensure that available resources strengthen the foundations of the health system.

Investments in prevention, primary care, surveillance and emergency preparedness can help countries reduce avoidable illness while making health systems better equipped to withstand future shocks.

A Region Balancing Progress and New Challenges

The WHO South-East Asia Region enters the latest regional committee meeting with significant accomplishments but also substantial unfinished work.

Recent disease-elimination successes show what sustained public-health programmes can achieve. At the same time, growing noncommunicable diseases, infectious-disease threats, financial constraints and health emergencies continue to test national systems.

WHO has reaffirmed its commitment to working with all Member States as they pursue universal health coverage and strengthen their ability to protect populations.

The message emerging from the Dili meeting is clear: health security and universal health coverage will increasingly depend on strong national systems, reliable domestic investment and continued cooperation across the region.