A workshop on improving transparency and accountability in the pharmaceutical sector was held at the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo, Egypt from 13 to 15 December 2010.  Thirty experts from five countries in the Region attended the workshop to share their experiences and prepare for implementation of the Good Governance for Medicines (GGM) programme. The programme is financially supported by the governments of Kuwait and Germany. 

The workshop aimed to introduce the WHO methodology for improved transparency and accountability in the pharmaceutical sector using the WHO assessment instrument. Participants included nominated national assessors and government counterparts from Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman and Sudan, who took part in hands on exercises and activities to acquire the necessary technical knowledge and skills.

The GGM programme is currently being implemented globally in 26 countries including five from the Eastern Mediterranean Region. To date, Jordan has launched its national GGM Framework and Lebanon has prepared a draft GGM Framework while Morocco, Pakistan and the Syrian Arab Republic have completed national assessments on transparency and vulnerability to corruption, and currently preparing for the next phase. The WHO Regional Office provides technical assistance to countries on implementing transparency assessment recommendations.