Distinguished Delegates
Colleagues
Good morning.
We meet at a moment of genuine consequence—for SEARHEF, and for the wider regional health emergency architecture.
Eighteen years ago, in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, Member States of the WHO South-East Asia Region made a simple choice: when disaster strikes, lifesaving funds must be available within hours, not weeks.
That gave rise to SEARHEF in 2008, and the conviction behind it has not changed.
The context, however, has.
Our Region faces more frequent climate-driven disasters, recurring outbreaks, protracted humanitarian crises in Myanmar and for the Rohingya population, and rising response costs.
All against a tightening global health financing landscape.
Member States, recognizing this evolving context, endorsed a significant expansion of SEARHEF during the Regional Committee last year.
They specifically requested WHO to develop a comprehensive Resource Mobilization Strategy to secure the Fund's sustainability, predictability, and growth.
The Strategy before you today is built on a clear premise: an expanded SEARHEF cannot rest on any single source of financing.
It must be diversified, embedded in the productive capacity of our Region, and resilient enough to respond when countries face their most acute emergencies.
It rests on three pillars:
sustaining and deepening Member State contributions;
expanding the donor base to foundations and the private sector; and
mobilizing the substantial in-kind capacity that exists across the Region's pharmaceutical, telecommunications, aviation, logistics and other industries.
Three enablers underpin it:
a coordinated Advocacy and Visibility approach;
strengthened Governance; and
a robust Monitoring and Evaluation framework.
It will be rolled out through a phased approach across 2026–2027, with clearly defined roles for WHO, Member States, donors, and partners.
Your guidance today is essential.
WHO, as Secretariat, has prepared this draft for your review, before it is placed at the Regional Committee later this year.
Your feedback shapes what goes forward. The Strategy must reflect the priorities, sensitivities, and ambitions of the Member States that own SEARHEF.
SEARHEF is, at its heart, an expression of regional solidarity: Member States standing shoulder-to-shoulder to support one another when emergencies strike.
Today, we ask you to deepen the solidarity and help secure the future.
I wish you a constructive discussion and look forward to your guidance.
Thank you.