Future-proofing the Asia-Pacific region: risk mapping exercise yields insights on preparing for future health crises

11 June 2026

In this age of seeming permacrisis, how might countries across Asia and the Pacific collectively anticipate, prepare for and respond to public health emergencies – including possible pandemics – that lie ahead?

Key answers could be found from the outcomes of a regional mapping exercise launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific during the WHO-led Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework (APHSAF) Stakeholders Meeting held on 11 June 2026 in Malaysia.

For the exercise, WHO mobilized an extensive network of contributors, synthesizing 228 distinct inputs from 11 Member States - including Australia, Japan, the Philippines and Viet Nam from the Western Pacific Region - alongside leading academic institutions and regional partner organizations, as well as WHO regional and country offices.

The exercise identified a diverse range of opportunities to boost regional operational readiness, transitioning the focus on health security investment in individual countries to a unified, interoperable health security collective for the entire Asia-Pacific region.

The COVID-19 pandemic, mounting climate emergencies, and outbreaks of mpox, Ebola and hantavirus, have proven that in an interconnected world, a vulnerability in one country can threaten the health and economic security of all countries.

The mapping exercise highlighted the value of shared assets, synchronized data and rapid mutual aid for true regional health security. Key insights included the importance of the following areas:

  • Collaborative surveillance: This topic yielded the highest volume of stakeholder inputs, highlighting the critical demand for integrated data systems, cross-border public health intelligence and synchronized regional laboratory networks.
  • Emergency coordination: Stakeholders strongly advocated for interoperable regional coordination mechanisms to ensure fast and seamless deployments of personnel and resources during large-scale, multi-country crises.
  • Cross-cutting knowledge management: The findings revealed clear regional demand for unified resource-sharing platforms, communities of practice and peer-learning structures to eliminate institutional silos.

Emphasizing the need for cohesive action, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, said: “We must be better prepared, better connected and better coordinated for health emergencies arriving faster than before. We must take bold, practical steps to sharpen our shared operational assets and tools, ensuring the entire region can mobilize instantly when the next crisis strikes.”

Sustaining momentum

Moving forward, APHSAF Stakeholders will leverage these findings in deep-dive consultations with Member States, technical experts and partners. These next steps will evaluate the operational feasibility, financial sustainability and long-term investment implications of the proposed regional assets.

WHO, its Member States and wide range of partners are thus helping to build a more resilient, self-sustaining Asia-Pacific region capable of managing threats to public health before they become global emergencies.