Following a recommendation from the Programme Subcommittee of the Regional Committee at its sixteenth meeting, it was decided that the 70th session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean would be held in person this year.

The theme of the 70th session is: “Moving forward towards a healthier future in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Promoting, protecting and delivering health for all by all”.

To ensure adequate physical distancing during the sessions, the following limitations on physical participation will be applied:

4 members from Member States (including Minister/Head of delegation)

2 members from United Nations agencies/international organizations

1 member from Non-State Actors

The 70th session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean is scheduled to take place at the WHO Regional Office in Cairo from Monday 9 to Thursday 12 October 2023 (exact timings to be confirmed).

For Member State delegation members unable to attend in person, the meeting will be streamed online on the WHO public website. Details for accessing the live streaming of the sessions will be shared in due course.

All participants are kindly requested to register for the 70th session of the Regional Committee through the secure online registration service at:

Seventieth session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean (9-12 October 2023): Overview · Indico (un.org) no later than 15 August 2023. It is recommended to use the latest version of Google Chrome to access the registration page.

The WHO Secretariat will confirm your registration via email.

Registration is a prerequisite for attending the sessions in person.

The Regional Committee consists of one representative from each country or territory of WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region. Member State delegates and advisers and representatives of other entities invited under Rule 2 of the Regional Committee’s Rules and Procedures, who are unable to attend in person, will be able to follow the sessions and deliberations through webcast.

Member States should communicate the names and designations of their representatives and all alternates and advisers to the WHO Regional Director no later than 15 August 2023. Such credentials will be issued by the Head of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Health, or any other appropriate authority (Rule 3 of the Rules of Procedure). A copy of the letter of credentials should be uploaded to the registration system so that registration can be approved. 

The working languages of the Regional Committee are Arabic, English and French. Statements made in any of these languages will be interpreted simultaneously into the other two languages. Delegates will be able to follow in the chosen language by selecting their preferred language. The meeting will also be webcast in the three languages.

Official documentation for the session will be available in Arabic, English and French, and will be made available on the Regional Committee website in the month of September 2023. Documents will not be dispatched by post. Participants are kindly requested to consult the documents online. 

Written statements of no more than 600 words may be submitted for posting on the WHO regional website under the related agenda item. Written statements should be sent in advance of the opening of the 70th session of the Regional Committee. They may be submitted in lieu of a live intervention or to complement a live intervention from a Member State.   

Please send written statements for posting to the WHO website to emrgogovbod@who.int, indicating the name of the country delegation/entity in the subject line of the email.