Fifth Regional Forum of the WHO Collaborating Centres in the Western Pacific

The new vision of the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region − Weaving Health for Families, Communities and Societies in the Western Pacific Region − articulates a shared vision for WHO’s work with Member States and partners in the coming years. It is also an implementation plan for WHO’s Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW14) which was approved by the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly in May 2024. Aligned with the global plan, the regional vision reflects the unique shared challenges arising from the demographic, economic, social and geographic characteristics of Member States in the Western Pacific. To help accelerate implementation of the new vision, WHO in the Region must continue to broaden and strengthen partnerships.

One way to do so is to maximize the contributions of WHO collaborating centres (CCs) through effective and strategic partnership that ensures alignment between the work of CCs and Member States’ priorities. Building on the lessons learnt and progress made since the first four regional forums of WHO CCs, the fifth forum will focus on:

• collaborative partnerships to build health systems for resilience, security and sustainable development that provides health care to the most vulnerable and secures the health and well-being of future generations;
• innovative partnerships to navigate current and future health threats, promote and protect health, achieve universal health coverage and ensure healthy futures for all communities; and
• inspired and impactful partnerships to advance health, equity and well-being for all, enabling all families, communities and societies to thrive.

To ensure a successful meeting, a series of interactive pre-forum activities will also be organized to engage WHO responsible officers and CC representatives. These activities will provide an opportunity to build a shared understanding of the new regional vision and GPW14, review relevant WHO CC policies, and promote dialogue and exchange on future directions.