IntroductionBurden of DiseasesNetworking Workshop

2nd ASEAN BOD Workshop Proceedings Report : The ASEAN Member States (AMS) are undergoing rapid economic growth, urbanization, and a demographic shift toward ageing populations. These transitions are contributing to a rise in lifestyle-related risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs)1 . The current NCD landscape in the AMS is characterized by high mortality rates. In the WHO South-East Asia Region, 62% of all deaths are attributable to NCDs2. The burden of NCDs is disproportionately affected by younger populations in the South-East Asia Region compared to other WHO regions3. Similarly, in the WHO Western Pacific Region, the pace of progress in combating NCDs remains slow4.The urgency of addressing NCDs in AMS is further reinforced by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG indicator 3.4.1, which targets a one-third reduction in premature mortality from NCDs between 2015 and 20305. However, many AMS countries face significant challenges in accurately estimating the burden of these diseases, mainly due to limitations in data availability, quality, and analytical capacity. These challenges hinder effective policymaking and resource allocation, as governments struggle to prioritize interventions without a clear understanding of the health burden.To address this problem, the ASEAN Burden of Disease (BOD) Network was established to foster regional collaboration and capacity building for BOD studies. In the first network workshop held in 2021, the ASEAN BOD Network highlighted gaps across AMS, with a key priority being the accurate and timely reporting of health-related SDG indicators, particularly premature mortality attributable to the four major NCDs. Four countries—Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand—were identified as being able to report the SDG 3.4.1 indicator regularly. However, several AMS face challenges in this area: Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines struggle with the consistency of their reporting, while Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam lack available data for this specific indicator. In addition, country-assessment of ASEAN capacities pointed that there is limited capacity to produce BOD estimation

Building on the action plans developed during the first workshop, the workshop aims to equip AMS participants with the tools and knowledge needed to assess the availability and quality on the SDG indicator 3.4.1 as well as to calculate and monitor the indicator using standardized method in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.7 This is crucial for generating reliable data across the region, thereby enabling better policy-making and more effective interventions to reduce premature mortality from NCDs.This initiative also aligns with the SDG 2030 agenda, the WHO NCD Global Monitoring Framework, and the WHO Regional Action Framework on NCDs, contributing to healthier populations and more resilient health systems in ASEAN