By Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia
The establishment of a specialized international health organization was first proposed in April 1945, when diplomats met in San Francisco to form the United Nations.
The following year, the ‘International Health Conference’ in New York drafted and adopted the constitution of what would soon become the World Health Organization (WHO) – signed by 61 nations, when the UN itself had 51 members.
This WHO constitution came into force two years later, on 7 April 1948 – a day we since mark as World Health Day – marking the beginning of our Organization, born from the hopes of healthier futures for all to come.
Today, 77 years later, we mark World Health Day – appropriately with the theme “Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures.”
Our health begins before birth. It is a multigenerational inheritance, bequeathed from our grandparents to our parents to us. This means that when we improve the health of our people today, the effects ripple across time and to uplift generations yet unborn.
The health of mothers and their newborns, therefore, is vital not just for our communities today, but for all who will come after us.
“Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures” is our first World Health Day theme dedicated to maternal and newborn health since 2005.
In the years since, we have made excellent progress.
From 2010 onwards, our region achieved the highest reduction in the stillbirth rate, and in the maternal, newborn and child mortality rates, compared to all other WHO regions and the global average.
We recorded a 53% reduction in the maternal mortality ratio (MMR), a 44% reduction in the neonatal mortality rate (NMR), a 39% reduction in the stillbirth rate (SBR), and a 49% reduction in the under-five mortality rate (U5MR).
For the first time in our region, we have reported an MMR of below 100 per 100 000 live births (currently 96). From 2016 to 2023, our Maternal Mortality reduced by an average of 5.1% per year – more than three times the global reduction rate.
However, while we have made progress regionally, these advancements are spread unevenly across our countries.
The stark reality is that in our region today, approximately 2700 mothers and 45 000 newborns still die every month. We tragically see about 34 600 stillbirths each month. Most of these deaths are from preventable causes.
Addressing this – whether through coverage, quality of evidence-based intervention packages, or socio-economic factors – requires a concerted and coordinated effort from all stakeholders.
Our work is guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by our Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health, by various Regional Strategic Frameworks, and by resolutions of the World Health Assembly and our South-East Asia Regional Committee.
At the heart of our efforts is Universal Health Coverage (UHC), which aims to provide a healthcare system where everyone can access quality services without financial burden.
Strengthening our primary healthcare systems to deliver inclusive, equitable care is essential and is our preferred approach to achieving UHC.
Universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services, including family planning and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs, contributes significantly to the survival of mothers and their children.
Sadly, however, we are witnessing a de-prioritization of resources for Maternal and Newborn Health. We are seeing this globally, regionally and at the country level. This is extremely concerning, and we need reverse this.
South-East Asia Region is guided by our Regional Roadmap for Results and Resilience, the first pillar of which focusses on the importance of mental health, well-being, and quality of life of our people. This has been ignored for too long, and will help ensure that mothers and newborns not just survive but thrive in supportive and enabling environments.
The health of women and children is of particular importance to us, and the second pillar of our Roadmap reaffirms investments in women, girls, adolescents, and vulnerable populations. This is key to public health outcomes and health equity.
Having considered the ‘healthy beginnings’ – of WHO, and at the start of life – let us turn to ‘hopeful futures.’ The future of the health and wellbeing of mothers and children is inescapably intertwined with the future of WHO.
In our eighth decade, we can look back with pride on so many achievements that are milestones in the history of mankind.
We have eradicated smallpox. We are close to eradicating polio. We have combatted HIV-AIDS. We have led the first global treaty to fight tobacco. Our immunization programs have vaccinated millions. We have prevented hundreds of millions from death, disease and infirmity.
Thanks to you, WHO’s impact has been on a planetary scale.
Despite this, we face troubled times. Geopolitical developments are affecting us and jeopardizing our work. But today, as we recommit to the health of mothers, children and generations yet unborn, we know our work is more vital than ever.
We are not sitting back. We are retooling, reorientating and repurposing to respond to our circumstances.
The ‘hopeful futures’ we want for our people demands a strong, resilient and active WHO.
From disease outbreaks to natural disasters, from the newborn to the elderly, from migrant camps to modern cities – whatever the situation and whoever the person, the WHO is a symbol of hope, help and health.
We call on all nations, all partners and all allies to deepen their work with us, and to strengthen the bonds of our common cause. The health of everyone we hold near and dear demands nothing less.