12 May 2025

Good morning, and a very warm welcome to all of you.

As we commemorate International Nurses Day, we honour the dedication, resilience, and leadership of nurses across the Eastern Mediterranean Region and beyond.

Nurses and midwives are the backbone of our health systems―comprising more than half of the global health workforce.

Today, we launch the second State of the World’s Nursing report, just five years before the deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The report highlights important progress, including a global increase in the number of nurses, but it also reminds us of the challenges we face.

The nursing workforce is essential to achieving SDG 3 regarding “Good Health and Wellbeing” by 2030, particularly for universal health coverage and strengthening primary health care.

However, progress is off-track, and without targeted action, nursing workforce gaps will persist beyond 2030—especially in the most vulnerable regions.

The Eastern Mediterranean Region currently has the second lowest density of nurses globally—just 15.5 per 10,000 population, compared to a global average of 37.1.

Alarmingly, we are projected to account for nearly one-quarter of the global nursing shortfall by 2030.

We face tough realities: deteriorating working conditions, gaps in education and training, weak regulation, deep inequities, and the emigration of nurses.

To make matters worse, more than sixty per cent of global attacks on health care occur in our Region.

We urgently need targeted, high-impact, and sustainable investments in jobs, education, leadership, and service delivery.

WHO’s Regional Flagship Initiative on Investing in a Resilient Health Workforce is helping to accelerate these efforts.

The initiative promotes increased investment in the health workforce, with a strong focus on primary care and essential public health functions.

It champions smarter spending to expand access to care, strengthen emergency response, and ensure long-term sustainability through a well-equipped and adaptable workforce.

It also aims to foster regional solidarity―encouraging countries to collaborate by sharing knowledge, expertise, and resources.

Nurses and midwives are―and must be―at the centre of these efforts.

The potential for transformation is immense.

Fifty-six per cent of our nursing workforce is under the age of 35—young, committed, and ready to lead.

Seventy-three per cent are women, many of whom are stepping into leadership roles that will shape the future of our health systems.

I thank the United Arab Emirates for co-hosting this important event, and I commend the strong collaboration among nursing leaders across our Region.

I am especially pleased that we will hear the voices of young and novice nurses during today’s sessions.

Your vision, your experience, and your energy are essential to shaping a stronger, more equitable future.

We must urgently invest in, protect, and empower our nurses.

Thank you.