A single unit of donated blood can save up to three lives. Many patients requiring transfusion, particularly in developing countries, do not have timely access to safe blood.3 June 2013 – This week, the tenth anniversary of World Blood Donor Day will be celebrated under the slogan "Give the gift of life: donate blood". The Day, which is celebrated globally, aims to encourage voluntary, unpaid and safe blood donation to help fill the gap in blood supplies and ensure the flow of safe blood worldwide.

Every year, 92 million blood donations are collected worldwide. Approximately half of these donations are collected in high-income countries, home to only 15% of the world’s population.

Low- and middle-income countries, including countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, suffer from severe shortage of voluntary non-remunerated blood donations while the need for blood supplies is huge; the greatest use of donated blood in these countries is for pregnancy-related complications and severe childhood anaemia.