Summary report on the Workshop on cancer data use to inform cancer control planning in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Publication date: 2024
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean organized a workshop on cancer data use to inform cancer control planning in the Region, which was held in Cairo, Egypt, on 27–29 November 2023. The theme of overweight and obesity was selected for the workshop, to put cancer control into the context of a risk factor of growing importance in its impact on cancer in the Region.
Summary report on the Regional consultation meeting on the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer
Publication date: 2021
To discuss an appropriate regional governance structure for the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) and to identify suitable modes of regional collaboration for the successful implementation of the GICC in the Region, a regional consultation meeting was held virtually on 25 and 26 January 2021. The meeting, convened by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, was an important step in the rolling out of the GICC in the Region. The meeting was attended by over 100 participants, including representatives from 19 ministries of health from the Region, paediatric oncologists, and representatives of global and regional paediatric oncology associations, UN agencies, and other global, regional and national partners in childhood cancer care, as well as the three levels of WHO.
Summary report on the Expert meeting to develop a regional roadmap for palliative care in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Publication date: 2019
Palliative care in most of the Eastern Mediterranean Region remains at an early stage of development, with insufficient strategic planning by governments for palliative care services and only an estimated 5% of adults in need of palliative care in the Region actually receiving it. In order to address the above gaps, WHO, the American University of Beirut (AUB), the Global Palliative Care Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and the Lebanese nongovernmental organization Balsam, brought together regional and international experts active in the field for the first regional expert meeting on palliative care. The meeting was held in Beirut, Lebanon, on 26 and 27 September 2019. The objectives of the meeting were to take stock of the current situation of palliative care in the Region and exchange country experiences, to develop a draft roadmap for palliative care covering the four domains of WHO model of palliative care and to discuss and agree on the organizational structure of a regional expert network on palliative care, to support the development and implementation of the abovementioned road map.
Summary report on the Regional high-level policy dialogue in preparation for the Third UN High-level Meeting on NCDs, and the Fifth annual regional meeting to scale up implementation of the UN Political Declaration on NCDs
Publication date: 2018
The Regional High-level Policy Dialogue in Preparation for the Third United Nations (UN) General Assembly High-level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, combined with the Fifth annual regional meeting to scale up implementation of the UN Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases took place at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo, Egypt from 3 to 5 July 2018. The meeting was comprised of two segments: 1) a high-level policy dialogue advocacy-building panel, which included strategic discussion on regional challenges and ways forward in the light of the recommendations of the WHO Independent High-level Commission on Noncommunicable Diseases; and 2) a technical segment, resembling previous annual regional meetings, where a review of regional progress was carried out with national noncommunicable disease programme managers and selected mental health focal points. A major aim of the meeting was to provide participants with updates on WHO technical guidance and tools to scale up implementation of global and regional noncommunicable disease commitments.
Summary report on the Annual regional meeting on implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
Publication date: 2018
The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean organized the 2017 annual regional meeting on the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on 6 and 7 December in Tunis, Tunisia. The meeting was attended by representatives of 15 countries of the Region: 12 Parties to the Framework Convention and 3 non-Parties. The core area of this year’s meeting was the implementation of Framework Convention Articles 17 and 18 on tobacco growing, namely support for economically viable alternative activities and the protection of the environment and the health of persons involved in tobacco cultivation.
Summary report on the Expert consultation to scale up cancer care in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Publication date: 2016
The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean convened an expert consultation to scale up cancer care in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, in Cairo, Egypt, on 27 and 28 November 2016. The consultation was attended by 21 global and regional experts and technical staff from the WHO Secretariat. The objectives of the consultation were to review the current regional situation of cancer care services with particular emphasis on gaps, challenges and opportunities for scaling up the services, to discuss in-depth the various core elements of quality cancer care guided by a number of draft working papers and to review the draft regional framework to scale up cancer control in the Region, and gather expert inputs on the proposed strategic interventions as well the monitoring indicators in this framework.
Summary report on the Intercountry regional pre-WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control seventh session of the Conference of Parties meeting
Publication date: 2016
The intercountry regional pre-WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) seventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP7) meeting took place at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo, Egypt, from 20 to 22 September 2016. The meeting was attended by 30 participants from 14 countries of the Region, along with international experts and staff from the FCTC Secretariat and WHO. The objectives of the meeting were to introduce key COP7 documents, to review and discuss the recommendations of the relevant COP documents, to discuss the status of the entry into force of the Protocol and review possible mechanisms for activating the ratification process at national level and to agree on a common regional position for each topic presented for COP7.
Summary report on the Expert meeting to finalize a regional roadmap to address unopposed marketing of unhealthy foods/beverages to children in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Publication date: 2016
WHO organized an expert meeting to finalize a regional roadmap to address unopposed marketing of unhealthy foods/beverages to children in the Eastern Mediterranean Region held in Cairo, Egypt on 21 and 22 June 2016. The expert meeting was attended by global and regional experts in the areas of childhood overweight and obesity, marketing, the media and public health, and WHO staff from headquarters and regional levels. The objectives of the meeting were to review the open forum recommendations and the current evidence; and to agree on a roadmap to address unopposed marketing of unhealthy foods/beverages to children in the Region.
Summary report on the Fourth annual regional meeting to scale up implementation of the United Nations Political Declaration on Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases
Publication date: 2016
The fourth annual regional meeting to scale up implementation of the United Nations Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases took place at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo, Egypt from 26 to 28 April 2016. The meeting was attended by 32 participants from 17 countries of the Region, along with WHO temporary advisers and WHO secretariat. Participants included national managers of noncommunicable disease programmes and focal points for tobacco control, physical activity, nutrition, surveillance and noncommunicable disease management. The main highlights of the meeting included a detailed assessment of country progress in the implementation of the commitments in the updated regional framework for action, the identification of a way forward to scale up implementation of strategic interventions, as well as a renewal of support to Member States to monitor and achieve progress in the ten progress indicators in preparation for the third high-level meeting by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018.
Summary report on the Regional meeting on strengthening partnership with civil society organizations for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases
Publication date: 2015
The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean co-organized with the NCD Alliance a regional meeting on strengthening partnership with civil society organizations for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases in Cairo, Egypt, from 1 to 2 September 2015. The meeting was the fourth in a series of meetings convened by the NCD Alliance across the different WHO regions in the lead up to the Global NCD Alliance Forum on 13–15 November 2015 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The meeting was attended by 45 participants from national and regional civil society organizations working on the main noncommunicable diseases, other diseases such as Alzheimer’s and kidney diseases, tobacco control, consumer protection, children with special needs, health policy reform and health system improvement. Among the meeting participants was Her Royal Highness Princess Dina Mired, Director General of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation in Jordan a long-time champion for noncommunicable diseases at the global level.
Summary report on the Regional meeting on achieving the global target of 30% reduction in tobacco use by 2025
Publication date: 2015
This regional meeting on achieving the noncommunicable diseases tobacco target (30% reduction by 2025) was organized in Tunis on 8 and 9 June 2015 to provide technical assistance to Member States towards realizing the international commitments in relation to tobacco presented in the WHO FCTC, the MPOWER measures, noncommunicable diseases best buys and the COP decisions. The meeting was attended by senior health officials from 16 Member States, representing the tobacco control and noncommunicable diseases sectors. Also, in attendance were global and regional experts on tobacco control from the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Jordan and Oman. The WHO FCTC Secretariat participated via Skype. The meeting secretariat included WHO staff from country offices, from the Eastern Mediterranean, African and European regional offices, and from Headquarters.
Report on the Expert consultation on improving the quality of care at primary health care level through the implementation of quality indicators and standards
Publication date: 2015
The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean has launched an initiative to develop a quality tool for primary health care that includes a list of core quality indicators and standards for service provision. A consultation on this initiative was organized in Cairo, Egypt, from 11 to 12 May 2015 with the participation of experts in the area of service delivery and quality and safety from across the world. This consultation reviewed the key quality indicators developed by WHO and drew up a number of key lessons which are of value both to WHO in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in furthering their own initiatives, and also to other regional offices or countries which are considering similar initiatives.
Summary report on the Third annual regional meeting to scale up implementation of the United Nations Political Declaration on Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases
Publication date: 2015
The third annual regional meeting to scale up implementation of the United Nations Political Declaration on Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases was organized by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in two rounds to cover all countries in the Region. The first meeting was organized in Cairo from 27 to 29 April 2015 and the second meeting in Beirut on 27 and 28 June 2015. The objective of the meeting was to review progress made in countries of the Region in implementing the strategic actions in the updated regional framework for action to implement the United Nations Political Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases. The two meetings were attended by 70 participants representing 20 countries of the Region and included national managers of noncommunicable disease programmes and focal points for tobacco control, physical activity, nutrition, surveillance and noncommunicable disease management, supported by international and regional experts.
Summary report on the Intercountry meeting on strengthening the public health response to substance use
Publication date: 2015
WHO organized a three day intercountry meeting in Cairo, Egypt, from 14 to 16 April 2015, to discuss how countries in the Region can strengthen their public health response to drug problems and their capacity to engage in dialogue on drug policy and public health at all levels. The meeting brought together substance use focal points from countries of the Region and a select group of civil society organizations, United Nations (UN) organizations such as United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UNAIDS, and international and regional experts, who had, in preparation for the meeting, developed evidence briefs on priority areas to guide the development of a regional framework for strengthening the public health response to the problem of drug use and its disorders.
Summary report on the First consultation of the Regional Advisory Committee on Noncommunicable Diseases and Public Health Law
Publication date: 2015
On 11 and 12 February 2015, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean convened the first consultation of the regional advisory committee on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and public health law. The consultation was convened as part of the public health law project to prevent and control NCDs in the Region. The project aims to assist WHO and its Member States to prevent and control NCDs through effective legal and regulatory interventions. The project is led by the Regional Office and its project partner, the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center (the O’Neill Institute). The main outcome of the project is the development of a dashboard of “good practice” legal and regulatory interventions in diet, physical activity, and tobacco control, and the identification of interventions that could be prioritized for action in the Region.
Report on the Consultative meeting on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) in drama
Publication date: 2014
In the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region it has been repeatedly documented that drama, including films and television series, is extensively used to advertise and promote different types of tobacco. To begin to address this problem, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean organized a consultative meeting from 24 to 26 August 2014 in Cairo, Egypt, to focus on TAPS in drama, examine its status in the Region and identify how it can be controlled, who should be involved and what actions are needed. Participants included national programme managers for tobacco control from selected countries, drama-makers from different sectors, including script writers and directors, representatives of key regional organizations including the Director-General of the Executive Board of the Health Ministers’ Council for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States, nongovernmental organizations, international and regional experts, and WHO staff from headquarters, regional and country level.
Report on the regional meeting on prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases and risk factors
Publication date: 2013
To support Member States in assessing national progress and in developing national multisectoral noncommunicable disease plans to scale up implementation of the strategic interventions laid out in the regional Framework for Action, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Kuwait, organized a regional meeting on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases and risk factors in Kuwait City from 29 to 30 April 2013.The meeting was attended by noncommunicable disease national programme managers, representatives of key regional organizations, international and regional experts and staff members from WHO headquarters and the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.