Health leaders from across the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region concluded their annual meeting in Manila on Thursday, 22 October, after endorsing action plans to address lagging progress on hypertension, tobacco control and immunisation, and adopting guidelines for the safe and effective use of artificial intelligence in health care, WHO said in its closing statement.

Source: WHO via ReliefWeb

Health ministers and more than 200 other participants — representing 2.2 billion people, over a quarter of the world's population — gathered for the seventy-seventh session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific, held from 19 to 22 October. The committee's adopted resolutions cover the same four areas in order: artificial intelligence, hypertension control, immunisation and tobacco control, WHO's session page shows.

Source: WHO — Regional Committee session 77

2.2 billionpeople represented — over a quarter of the world
1 in 3adults in the Region affected by hypertension, WHO said
~3 milliondeaths a year in the Region attributed to tobacco — yaani, about 30 lakh deaths annually
30% by 2030regional tobacco-use reduction target most countries are not on track to meet

Four plans, four gaps the Region admits it is missing

On hypertension, which WHO called a silent killer affecting one in three adults in the Region, the committee endorsed a Regional Plan for Accelerating Hypertension Control that makes prevention and control a core function of people-centred primary health care. Detection, treatment and blood-pressure control remain unacceptably low in many parts of the Region, the statement said.

On immunisation, Member States endorsed a Regional Plan to Accelerate Immunization Progress after acknowledging the Region is off track to achieve its targets, particularly among children and underserved populations, at a time when measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases are making a comeback and donor support is declining.

On tobacco, the endorsed acceleration plan addresses tobacco industry interference in policy-making and aggressive marketing of new products, including e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, to young people. Most countries in the Region are not on track to achieve the target of a 30% relative reduction in tobacco use by 2030, WHO said.

On artificial intelligence, Member States endorsed Guidance for Responsible AI in Health in the Western Pacific Region, an action plan countries can use to design and roll out AI in health systems according to their own needs and capacities, while acknowledging that AI's potential to strengthen health systems also carries risks.

What WHO's regional director said

"Not only have countries pledged to swiftly tackle these issues, but they have also committed to genuine collaboration regionwide, sharing experiences and lessons learnt through the convening power of WHO," said Dr Saia Ma'u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, in the closing statement.

Besides the four main items, ministers held a roundtable on voluntary regional collaboration to improve access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable health products. On the sidelines, a new four-year healthy ageing initiative involving WHO and The Chinese University of Hong Kong was announced, supported by the Institute of Philanthropy and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust through a contribution of approximately US$7 million — yaani, about 70 lakh US dollars — as part of work tied to the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030).

What is solid

  • The 77th WHO Regional Committee session (Manila, 19–22 October) ended with unanimous consensus and endorsed action plans on hypertension, tobacco control and immunisation, plus guidance on responsible AI in health — WHO closing statement via ReliefWeb.
  • The session's adopted resolutions are listed by WHO as R1 Artificial intelligence, R2 Hypertension control, R3 Immunization and R4 Tobacco control — WHO session page.
  • Participants represented 2.2 billion people, and WHO put hypertension at one in three adults and tobacco deaths at an estimated 3 million a year in the Region.

What is only claimed

  • Whether the plans will close the gaps they name — WHO itself says the Region is off track on immunisation and on the 2030 tobacco target, so the endorsements are commitments, not results; delivery depends on national budgets and implementation, which the statement does not guarantee.