PM Modi inaugurates new WHO South-East Asia regional office building in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday virtually inaugurated the newly constructed building of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) here along with WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The inauguration took place during the closing session of the Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, with the building constructed through contributions from the government of India.

Later in the evening, Union Health Minister J P Nadda led health ministers and representatives from WHO South-East Asia member states, Dr Ghebreyesus and WHO South-East Asia Officer-in-Charge Dr Catharina Boehme on a site visit to the new facility.

Thanking the Indian government for hosting the regional office and for its “generosity” in financing and overseeing the project, Dr Ghebreyesus said the building was more than a workplace.

“It is a symbol of shared purpose and cooperation, and a platform from which we will continue striving towards WHO’s founding goal, the highest attainable standard of health for all,” he said.

The new WHO building, comprising three interconnected towers with modern features, has been built on the same land at Indraprastha Estate where the original ‘WHO House’, constructed by the government of India in the early 1960s, stood for over five decades.

Expressing gratitude to the Indian government for providing WHO with a modern, sustainable and future-ready facility, Dr Boehme said the building symbolised a shared vision and commitment to advancing health and wellbeing across the region and beyond.

According to a WHO statement, the building meets green building standards and incorporates measures such as a heat-reducing facade, solar energy use, rainwater harvesting, water treatment and reuse, and indoor and outdoor gardens to lower its environmental footprint. These features align with WHO’s commitment to climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable health facilities.

The facility also includes extensive meeting and convening infrastructure, including a large conference hall and an auditorium. Artworks and artefacts from the old building, gifted by member states, have been installed in the new structure.

The MF Husain mural titled ‘The History of Medicine’, which adorned the conference hall of the old building, was preserved by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and has now been installed in the reception hall of the new facility.

Built at a cost of USD 35 million, the new building has a total built-up area of over 40,500 square metres, compared to about 10,500 square metres in the old WHO House, the statement said.