Convened by the WHO South-East Asia Regional Office in collaboration with IFRC, UNICEF, and regional partners, the forum brought together Member State delegations and partners from across the region to strengthen the role of community health workforces in localised public health emergency management. Over three days, participants engaged in technical sessions, working group discussions, and a field visit to a community health setting — sharing experiences, lessons learned, and priorities for strengthening and institutionalising community health workers within national health systems and emergency preparedness frameworks.
MRC's participation reflects the organisation's active engagement in regional dialogues on community health and emergency preparedness and its recognition that community-based volunteers and health workers are a critical first line of response in both everyday health contexts and public health emergencies. The forum also provided a platform for MRC to contribute to the newly established Asia Pacific Community of Practice for Community Resilience and Protection, a regional coordination mechanism bringing together WHO, UNICEF, IFRC, and partners to advance shared priorities in community health workforce strengthening.