A file photo of World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters. (Photo: VCG)

Takeshi Kasai was confirmed as the World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for the Western Pacific by the WHO Executive Board in Geneva, Switzerland, the WHO said on Monday.

"I am grateful for the trust placed in me by WHO member states and deeply honored to serve as regional director for the Western Pacific," said Kasai. He underscored the importance of making WHO even more responsive to countries' needs in a world where rapid economic, environmental and social changes are affecting the lives and health of the region's nearly 1.9 billion people.

Kasai said he plans to build on the decade of leadership and legacy of the outgoing regional director Shin Young-soo.

Kasai said he will reinforce support in three key areas that member states have identified as priorities for the future: health security, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and ageing, and environmental and climate change.

"We must keep the region safe from new and re-emerging disease threats. We don't know when or where the next pandemic will arise, but it will happen," he said. "All countries must be prepared, regardless of their size or stage of development."

Populations are ageing, and non-communicable diseases – such as heart disease and diabetes – are already the leading cause of death and disability in the Western Pacific Region, he said.

"We must develop new approaches that go beyond advocacy and training, including developing health systems that can effectively address the challenges posed by NCDs – as more people are growing old with one or more chronic conditions," added Kasai.

Environmental issues associated with rapid economic development also pose a growing threat, he said. More than 2 million people die in the Western Pacific Region every year as a result of indoor and outdoor air pollution.

"This is a profoundly important issue for countries in our region," Dr Kasai said. For some Pacific island countries, climate change threatens their very existence, as rising sea levels risk washing away entire islands and atolls.

"These are huge challenges that we must face together, but they are not insurmountable," said Kasai. "And while the future will bring new challenges, at the same time it is full of opportunity – as innovation and new technology make things possible that we couldn't even imagine not so long ago."