30 October 2025
A Critical Infrastructure Approach to Mitigating Future Pandemics in Southeast Asia
Executive Summary
Southeast Asia is a growing hotspot for emerging and re-emerging biosecurity threats, given the impacts of climate change on animal migration, triggering animal disease evolution into forms that impact human health (zoonosis). The region faces multiple vulnerabilities in the form of unregulated shared borders, trade and transport infrastructure for animal markets, biotechnology labs, and farms, which this policy report treats as the critical infrastructure (CI) for diseases to develop/enter ASEAN member states.
This policy report proposes a preventative CI protection approach to governance, in mitigating the emergence/re-emergence of infectious diseases. Policy recommendations include implementing integrated national surveillance and warning systems; exploring cooperative border governance mechanisms towards a fully fledged ASEAN centre for disease control and prevention; and developing collaborative hubs for regional research, cross-sector capacity-building, and public–private partnership practices. A CI approach presents a holistic approach to biosecurity, complementing existing whole-of-government approaches by prioritising the tackling of potential blind spots as bases for regional cooperation.
Executive Summary
Southeast Asia is a growing hotspot for emerging and re-emerging biosecurity threats, given the impacts of climate change on animal migration, triggering animal disease evolution into forms that impact human health (zoonosis). The region faces multiple vulnerabilities in the form of unregulated shared borders, trade and transport infrastructure for animal markets, biotechnology labs, and farms, which this policy report treats as the critical infrastructure (CI) for diseases to develop/enter ASEAN member states.
This policy report proposes a preventative CI protection approach to governance, in mitigating the emergence/re-emergence of infectious diseases. Policy recommendations include implementing integrated national surveillance and warning systems; exploring cooperative border governance mechanisms towards a fully fledged ASEAN centre for disease control and prevention; and developing collaborative hubs for regional research, cross-sector capacity-building, and public–private partnership practices. A CI approach presents a holistic approach to biosecurity, complementing existing whole-of-government approaches by prioritising the tackling of potential blind spots as bases for regional cooperation.
