The BRIDGE (Building Regional Insights and Data for Governance and Health Equity) Network held its second biannual convening on 17–18 September 2026 at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila, Philippines, bringing together policymakers, researchers and technical experts from across Southeast Asia. The two-day meeting provided a platform for country and regional partners to exchange experiences, advance technical discussions across BRIDGE’s three technical pillars, and strengthen collaboration across the Network.
The convening opened with remarks from Dr. Eduardo Banzon, Director of the Health Practice Team at ADB, and Prof. Teo Yik Ying, Dean of NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, setting the stage for two days of regional exchange and collaboration.
The programme brought together country perspectives on health policy development and regional health efforts, followed by country sharing on Health System Performance Assessment (HSPA) practices from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam as part of a larger HSPA landscaping project. Participants also identified priority themes to advance these areas of work.
The Burden of Disease and Risk Modelling session featured an overview of Global Burden of Disease (GBD) work in the ASEAN region, including perspectives on the region’s changing epidemiological landscape and the growing importance of understanding morbidity and non-fatal health outcomes. The session also explored how GBD estimates can be combined with local data and risk-factor modelling to support policy-oriented analysis.
The Data Capacity and Systems session built on the Data Capacity and Systems Working Group Convening held in July 2026 and brought together perspectives from Indonesia, Lao PDR, and Thailand alongside regional expertise, focusing on strengthening health data systems and collaboration across countries.
Alongside the technical sessions, members discussed the continued development of the BRIDGE Network, and capacity-building needs and opportunities, with broader emphasis on peer learning, technical exchange, and capacity building. The programme also featured two workshops connecting BRIDGE’s work with broader regional initiatives. The ADB Country Health Diagnostics session featured a validation workshop for BRIDGE members and partners to engage with and provide input on the approach. The Asia Pacific Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (APO) held a workshop to review the curriculum and local insights for the Health Systems in Transition (HiTs) Training Pilot.
The convening closed with reflections from Dr. Roger Glass, President of CMB Foundation, and Dr. Valerie Gilbert Ulep, Senior Research Fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Health Economics and Finance Program.
Co-organised by PIDS, ADB, CMB Foundation, and NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, the convening continued BRIDGE’s efforts to foster regional collaboration, peer learning, and technical exchange for stronger capacity in health systems governance and health equity in Southeast Asia.