Participants included senior doctors and executives from three regions of Libya, government health officials, representatives of United Nations agencies and staff from the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and WHO country office in Libya20 March 2016 – The WHO country office in Libya organized a consultative workshop on developing a national health strategy for emergency preparedness and response in Libya, from 16 to 18 March in Gammarth, Tunisia.

The health system in Libya has come under severe strain due to the armed conflict and widespread violence in the country. The impact has been exacerbated by the traditionally weak capacity of the health system, coupled with repeated crises over the years.

The objectives of the workshop were to:

• align a common understanding of the health system in Libya and its re-defined role in emergencies; and
• agree on future actions/steps required toward an effective health sector emergency preparedness and response.

The workshop resulted in the development of a draft road map on the health sector strategy for emergency preparedness and response.