7 May 2025, Syrian Arab Republic – The Centre of Strategic Studies and Health Training (CSHT) and the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and the WHO Country Office in Syria, convened a workshop on 28 April 2025 in Damascus to identify Syria’s public health research priorities. The event aimed to strengthen Syria’s health research agenda by aligning it with current public health needs.

The workshop, technically and financially supported by WHO, brought together public health experts, researchers, policy-makers and representatives from national institutions to participate in a structured research prioritization exercise. The process focused on four key areas: health systems; communicable diseases; noncommunicable diseases and universal health coverage. Participants reviewed and discussed an extensive list of research topics identified through earlier consultations and assessed each of them based on public health relevance and technical and operational feasibility.

“This workshop marks a significant milestone in strengthening Syria’s national health research agenda,” said Acting WHO Representative in Syria Ms Christina Bethke. “By identifying research priorities that are both feasible and impactful, Syria is taking an important step towards ensuring that evidence guides decision-making and supports equitable and people-centered health policies. WHO remains committed to supporting national partners in translating these priorities into action.”

The process followed WHO recommended methodology, including group discussions and individual scoring, for setting health research priorities in each focus area, ensuring that the approach was inclusive, evidence-informed and tailored to the Syrian context.

Moving forward, WHO will continue to promote the uptake of research and support the integration of findings into national health planning frameworks.