Distinguished participants and colleagues;
Ladies and gentlemen:
Good morning and welcome to the meeting of the working group on immunization in Gavi-supported countries of the Western Pacific Region.
I would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. I hope that 2016 will be a year full of global and regional successes in immunization.
Your role as participants in this regional working group is an important one. It is to consider practical issues in the implementation of immunization programmes in our Region.
By identifying ways to strengthen these programmes, you are helping ensure that children throughout the Region are better protected through vaccination.
With an emphasis on countries supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, this meeting comes just as the alliance is starting a new five-year strategic plan.
As always, there will be a strong focus on how to sustain and build on immunization successes — especially for several countries in the Region that will graduate from the Gavi support and have to rely on domestic resources.
Like other areas in communicable disease control, immunization programmes can be a victim of their own success. Success means many fewer cases — which is what we are trying to achieve. At the same time, a drop in cases can also make issues and ongoing risks less visible. This is a key threat to sustaining commitment to these programmes.
Given trends in Gavi support and shared issues across the Region, I understand that you will be discussing the potential for the working group to expand its focus beyond Gavi-eligible countries to address issues common to any and all Member States. To that end, new terms of reference will be discussed during this meeting.
Immunization remains one of the most effective and cost-effective tools we have to protect and promote health. Immunization continues to be a core focus for WHO. Countries in the Region are making real progress towards meeting ambitious but achievable immunization goals.
For example, in the last year Cambodia was verified as having eliminated deadly endemic measles. This was the result of Government commitment and a robust national immunization programme.
We must work together to sustain these hard-won decreases in vaccine-preventable diseases and achieve our agreed goals.
We should also seize opportunities to introduce new vaccines and delivery technologies when this can be done sustainably.
On behalf of WHO, thank you for your commitment and dedication to the vision of a future without vaccine-preventable diseases.
I look forward to hearing your recommendations.
Thank you and have a pleasant stay in Manila.