Indonesia leaves SEARO: what it means for regional health and WHO

Abstract

In May 2025, Indonesia quietly reshaped part of the global health map. With the approval of the World Health Assembly, it formally transitioned from the WHO South-East Asia Region (SEAR) to the Western Pacific Region (WPR).1 The move followed a written notification in May 2024, endorsed by the WHO Regional Committee in October 2024. With the approval of the World Health Assembly, it formally transitioned from the WHO South-East Asia Region (SEAR) to the Western Pacific Region (WPR), effective 23 May 2025. On the surface, this might look like a bureaucratic adjustment, but the shift speaks volumes about regional cooperation, health diplomacy, and the unfinished business of universal health coverage (UHC). It may also reflect broader shifts in how countries engage with global and regional institutions, as the multilateral order established after the Second World War is increasingly questioned and adapted in today's multipolar world. SEARO's evolving boundaries make Indonesia's move not without precedent.2 Established in 1948 as WHO's first operational regional office created under the constitutional mandate for regionalisation, SEAR has seen substantial changes in its composition.3 Initially comprising five member states, the region expanded to include Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, Mongolia, Maldives, Bangladesh, DPR Korea, Bhutan, and Timor-Leste. Several countries subsequently exited, including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Afghanistan (a founding member), Mongolia, and now Indonesia.