Most people don’t think about the role of the World Health Organization (WHO) when they hear news about a disease outbreak, when policies are introduced to reduce the burden of diseases, or when they receive advice from a health professional on how to protect their health and the well-being of their communities. Yet WHO’s work in the Western Pacific Region supports all of these moments, and many more.
Health is a shared commitment among governments, communities, institutions and individuals to protect and improve well-being. This shared responsibility forms a social compact for health, where societies value health and recognize that everyone has a role in building healthier futures.
WHO exists to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. But this mission cannot be achieved alone. Partnerships and collaboration are essential to turning ambition into impact.
Where global health meets local action
WHO country offices are where global commitments meet local realities. Working alongside governments, civil society organizations and local communities, they translate global and regional policies into practical action, manage health threats, strengthen health systems and respond to emergencies and support communities in addressing their most pressing health challenges. Their effectiveness depends on strong partnerships and meaningful participation from stakeholders on the ground.
In Mongolia, where health inequities continue to exist, partnerships are expanding beyond traditional health actors, engaging the private sector, young people, international institutions and local communities to strengthen advocacy and accountability for better health outcomes.
Taking public health to the skies
In 2025, WHO in Mongolia and MIAT Mongolian Airlines launched a first-of-its-kind collaboration to bring public health into the skies. Mongolia’s national airline featured WHO’s work in its in-flight magazine, reaching passengers across 13 international and 8 national destinations. For many, it is a reminder of WHO’s role in the country. It also marked the first-ever partnership between WHO and Mongolia’s national airline, establishing a new model of engagement with the aviation sector.
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Cover of MIAT Mongolian Airlines magazine, March 2025
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Dr Socorro Escalante, WHO Representative in Mongolia, with Mr Batdari Namkhaijantsan, Chief Commercial Officer, MIAT Mongolian Airlines. © WHO
The idea was simple: use an existing platform to share credible health information, while generating the participation of key stakeholders to shape health. An in-flight magazine became a channel for public health advocacy. The call for ‘health for all’ now travels alongside passengers within Mongolia and beyond. The partnership will continue through 2026, aligning public health messages with key awareness campaigns and helping advocate for better health among wider audiences.
Bringing health messages into everyday life
Another innovative partnership with the Trade and Development Bank (TDB) expanded platforms for public health advocacy that reach people in their everyday environments. Through TDB’s branch screens and digital platforms across the country, public health messages during World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week and Universal Health Coverage Day, reached more than 220 000 people. The collaboration has expanded and with a renewed agreement for 2026, TDB will continue to support health information with 10 health campaigns. This collaboration also represents the first structured partnership between WHO in Mongolia and a national commercial bank, opening a new pathway for private sector engagement in public health for the Western Pacific Region.
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Trade and Development Bank building with WHO messages on screen. © WHO
Collaboration is also reaching other new audiences. Through a partnership with the National Geographic Society and WHO Asia-Pacific Centre for Environment and Health in the Western Pacific Region (ACE), the Ministry of Health and WHO in Mongolia supported a youth photo camp where young Mongolians documented the links between climate change and health through photography. Their work culminated in a public exhibition that brought together government, civil society and development partners, demonstrating how storytelling can raise awareness of the health impacts of climate.
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© National Geographic Photo Camp
Partnerships that strengthen systems
Together, these initiatives show how partnerships can extend the reach of health information, strengthen health systems and engage society in protecting health. These collaborations show how partnerships can bring health messages into everyday life while strengthening trust and engagement across society.
“The deeper meaning of health is that it belongs to everyone,” said Dr Socorro Escalante, WHO Representative in Mongolia. “When governments, communities, businesses and global partners work together, we move faster and further. Meaningful collaboration turns shared responsibility into real progress for people’s health.”
In a fast-moving information environment, where misinformation and disinformation spread quickly, these partnerships matter. Partnerships help connect global knowledge with local action, ensure that trusted health information reaches communities and mobilize collective efforts to protect the most vulnerable.
Building resilience through global collaboration
WHO Mongolia also works closely with regional and global partners to strengthen the country’s health system. Through the Pandemic Fund, the Government of Mongolia, WHO and UNICEF are strengthening preparedness for future health emergencies using a One Health approach. The Influenza Collaboratory, established with the National Influenza Center (NIC), National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD), the ISI Foundation (Italy), and the University of Melbourne (Australia), is improving Mongolia’s ability to forecast and respond to respiratory outbreaks. Partnerships with initiatives such as the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer, Gavi, Unitaid and the Global Fund are supporting access to essential medicines, HPV vaccination and the scale up of services to prevent and treat high-burden diseases, including TB and cervical cancer.
Together, these examples reflect a broader shift. The world is changing fast. Health challenges are more complex. Information moves faster than ever before. To remain effective, WHO must work across sectors and platforms, with governments, academic institutions, collaborating centres, private companies and communities.
Each partner brings different strengths, whether expertise, reach, trust or innovation. Collaboration helps connect global goals to local action. It ensures that health information is accessible, relevant and timely while generating commitment to protect the vulnerable and address inequities in health. It drives transformations in health through shared effort.
WHO in Mongolia approaches partnerships creatively, strategically and ethically, as a part of a broader compact for health, guided by WHO’s mandate to lead, convene and drive commitment towards health for all. Communications becomes impact. Visibility becomes advocacy. Systems building becomes transformation.
WHO’s mandate remains clear: to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Achieving this requires collective effort.
The impact we create together cannot be achieved alone.