20 June 2022 – As part of efforts to address violence against women and girls from a health system perspective, the WHO Regional Office organized a regional workshop for WHO gender-based violence country teams on 13–15 June 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

The workshop shared achievements and lessons learned from recent years, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, while linking national plans addressing the issue to WHO wider regional and global plans.  

The workshop was attended by focal points from countries with ongoing or planned activities on gender-based violence (Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen) and WHO technical staff from a range of programmes. Representatives from the HQ's gender-based violence team also attended and provided the latest updates on available technical tools, research and data collection initiatives. 

The aim of the workshop was to foster cross-programmatic collaboration and coordination and concerned teams from across the 3 levels of WHO had an opportunity to exchange knowledge, align goals, optimize efforts and ensure the best outcomes possible from the implementation of ongoing and planned activities.

Defining a way forward to integrate gender-based violence in key programmatic areas of work – such as women’s health, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, gender equity and human rights, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, the Health Cluster, and disability – is of particular importance and defining short- and long-term country workplans. 

The Regional Office is strongly engaged in meeting related commitments and eager to posution WHO as a key actor to address gender-based violence in countries of the Region. The progressive engagement and increasing interest of countries in the Region, both from a developmental and humanitarian perspective, to address the issue is a clear indication of the work that is being undertaken and of the recognition of gender-based violence as an institutional priority at all levels. 

Opening remarks were given by Dr Maha El Adawy, Director of Healthier Populations, WHO Regional Office, and Dr Claudia Garcia Moreno, Unit Head, Addressing the Needs of Populations in Vulnerable Situations, Sexual and Reproductive Health Department, WHO headquarters.