The Western Pacific Region (WPRO) began its work by focusing on strengthening community engagement during the context of COVID-19 and in two countries: the Philippines and Lao, People’s Democratic Republic (PDR).  The initial efforts in both nations were driven by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but have since expanded to include a broader perspective. Currently, the region is also leveraging the knowledge gained from SIMASHE to support Sustainable Development in Health Education initiatives in other countries, such as Vanuatu, even if they are not directly involved in SIMASHE. The approach of the Western Pacific Region countries has strongly focused on context-based community engagement. During 2024, the focus shifted to emphasize gathering data on and monitoring the social determinants of health equity across countries in the region, from the local level upwards.