As WHO adapts to the United States withdrawal and cuts in overseas aid, regional partnerships have become more important for health in the Western Pacific. Saia Maʻu Piukala set out the region's challenges and priorities as he prepared to attend the World Health Summit in Berlin (12-14 October) and to take part in the Regional Committee meeting in Fiji (20-24 October 2025). He described the withdrawal as a painful moment that also offers an opportunity to diversify funding, refocus priorities and restructure global operations.
Piukala said WHO will use the new momentum to identify which partners and resources to mobilise to fulfil its mandate. Multilateral tools such as the International Health Regulations and the new Pandemic Agreement are central to regional preparedness, and governments at the Fiji meeting will discuss how to implement these frameworks to strengthen readiness for future threats. Philanthropic partnerships form a key part of WHO's approach: collaboration with the Asia-based Institute of Philanthropy seeks to connect the organisation with new philanthropic actors, and talks at the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network conference in Hong Kong have already opened promising avenues.
Combating misinformation is a major priority, so WHO is investing in infodemic management and embedding it across programmes. Piukala urged member states to address the commercial determinants of health that drive the global burden of non-communicable diseases — naming hypertension, diabetes and cancers linked to tobacco, alcohol, processed foods and fossil fuels. He warned that industry pushback can include disinformation and aggressive marketing directed at young people, including advertising for e-cigarettes and vapes.
The Fiji meeting has three main health priorities: renewed action on NCDs (including tobacco and alcohol), climate and health, and health emergency preparedness. Climate work will include a regional roadmap and a five-year strategy to build climate-resilient health systems through the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environment and Health in Seoul. Health emergency work will focus on implementing IHR amendments and the Pandemic Agreement; WHO will also explore AI for telehealth and diagnostics while asking hard questions about equity. A major regional success was the elimination of measles and rubella in 21 Pacific Island Countries, announced in September. Piukala, who is from Tonga, compared that outcome to the global effort that eradicated smallpox and said partnerships, diversified funding and stronger regional governance are needed to make further progress.
Difficult words
- withdrawal — the act of pulling out or leaving support
- diversify — to increase variety of sources or types
- philanthropic — relating to giving money for public good
- infodemic — large spread of false or harmful information
- determinant — factors caused by business practices affecting healthdeterminants
- non-communicable disease — long-term illnesses not spread between peoplenon-communicable diseases
- resilient — able to recover and continue workingclimate-resilient
- elimination — complete removal of a disease from an area
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- What are the possible benefits and risks of diversifying WHO's funding, as described in the article? Give reasons.
- How could governments address the commercial determinants of health that drive non-communicable diseases? Give two possible actions.
- In what ways might stronger regional partnerships improve preparedness for future health emergencies in the Western Pacific?
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