01 September 2025

1 September 2025 – Globally, 400 000 children are diagnosed with cancer annually, which means 3 children are diagnosed with cancer every 4 minutes. Of these cases, 90% occur in low- and middle-income countries, where only a fifth of diagnosed children survive. In contrast, children born in high-income countries have a more than 80% chance of surviving childhood cancer. The difference in...

25 August 2025

Government representatives call for standardized public health procedures at the close of a 3-day simulation exercise. 25 August 2025, Cairo, Egypt – Government representatives from Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Tunisia — major countries on migratory routes in North Africa — convened in Cairo from 18–20 August for a 3-day table-top simulation exercise (SimEx) organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and...

22 August 2025

FAO, UNICEF, WFP and WHO reiterate call for immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to curb deaths from hunger and malnutrition 22/08/2025- ROME/GENEVA/NEW YORK – More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to a new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis released today. Famine conditions are...

20 August 2025

19 August 2025 World Humanitarian Day (WHD), established after the 2003 Canal Hotel bombing in Iraq, honours the courage of humanitarian workers who risk their lives to save others. This year, in the region where WHD began, the Eastern Mediterranean faces some of its darkest humanitarian crises. Humanitarian needs have never been greater, yet funding has fallen to historic lows. Aid workers...

18 August 2025

18 August 2025 Distinguished colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 24th intercountry meeting of poliovirus laboratory directors in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Your work is critical to the Region’s progress towards polio eradication. The precision, dedication, and collaboration that define this laboratory network are essential to timely detection, effective outbreak response, and ultimately, eradication. I would like to...

11 August 2025

11 August 2025, Manama, Bahrain – World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy has completed her first official visit – from 4 to 6 August 2025 – to the Kingdom of Bahrain. The visit reaffirmed the longstanding strategic partnership between WHO and the Government of Bahrain, highlighted Bahrain’s progress in advancing national and regional health...

06 August 2025

06 August 2025 His Excellency Lieutenant General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior Her Excellency Dr Jalila bint El-Sayed Jawad Hassan, Minister of Health The Honourable Shaikh Khalid bin Humood bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Governor of the Capital Governorate The Honourable Hassan Abdullah Mohammed Al Madani, Governor of the Northern Governorate The Honourable Salman Bin Isa Bin Hindi Al Mannai, Governor of...

05 August 2025

05 August 2025 Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, It is a pleasure to join you today for this timely roundtable on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and health workforce education. I thank Dr Saad Alfuhaid, President of the Arabian Gulf University, for bringing us together, and I warmly acknowledge the leadership of Dr Jameela Alsalman, Chair of WHO’s Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on AMR. AMR remains one of...

31 July 2025

31 July 2025, Jerusalem, Cairo: The worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip, according to the alert published this week by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).   People are foregoing food for days. Others are dying as their undernourished, weakened bodies succumb to disease or organ failure. The health system, normally a source of...

31 July 2025

Invest in breastfeeding, invest in the future 1 August 2025 – Since 1992, World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) has been celebrated Annually, in the first week of August. In 2018, a World Health Assembly resolution endorsed WBW as an important breastfeeding promotion strategy. Championed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Ministries of Health and civil society...

28 July 2025

World Hepatitis Day is observed each year on 28 July to raise awareness of viral hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver, mostly caused by a viral infection that progresses to severe liver disease and liver cancer. Hepatitis is a major public health problem across the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region, affecting 27 million people and leading to an estimated...

28 July 2025

26 July 2025 – In Lebanon, I stood in the ruins of a bombed-out primary health care centre in the southern suburbs of Beirut. I met mothers doing their utmost to keep their children healthy amid rising prices and dwindling options. And I witnessed the quiet determination of health workers who continue to show up each day to serve their...

27 July 2025

Jerusalem, Cairo, Geneva, 27 July 2025 - Malnutrition is on a dangerous trajectory in the Gaza Strip, marked by a spike in deaths in July. Of 74 malnutrition-related deaths in 2025, 63 occurred in July - including 24 children under five, a child over five, and 38 adults. Most of these people were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or...

24 July 2025

24 July 2025, Cairo, Egypt – On 17 July 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean launched the Regional Coalition for Mental Health and Substance Use Prevention. A webinar held for the launch brought together civil society organizations (CSOs) working on mental health and substance use from across the Region. Speakers from the Regional Office included Regional...

24 July 2025

24 July 2025, Cairo, Egypt – World Drowning Prevention Day, a global advocacy event held annually on 25 July, serves as an opportunity to highlight the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities and offer lifesaving solutions to prevent it.   Over the last decade at least 3 million people have lost their lives to drowning. Though there has...

22 July 2025

Jerusalem, Cairo, Geneva, 22 July 2025 - WHO condemns in the strongest terms the attacks on a building housing WHO staff in Deir al Balah, in the middle area of Gaza, the mistreatment of those sheltering there, and the destruction of its main warehouse. Following intensified hostilities in Deir al Balah after the latest evacuation order issued by Israeli military, the...

20 July 2025

20 July 2025, Cairo, Egypt – In her visit to Afghanistan from 29 June to 1 July 2025, WHO Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy focused on polio eradication efforts, substance use treatment and other priority areas. Dr Balkhy met with national leaders and partners, including UN representatives and diplomats. In her meeting with the Minister of Public Health H.E. Noor Jalal...

17 July 2025

17 July 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The Regional Health Alliance (RHA) convenes today to accelerate efforts to improve maternal, newborn and child health and support immunization and polio eradication across the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region. The meeting will gather representatives from nine UN agencies and six priority countries – Afghanistan, Djibouti, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Hosted by WHO...

17 July 2025

17 July 2025, Cairo, Egypt – Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean joined with mental health partners and stakeholders to launch the Regional Coalition for Mental Health Promotion and Substance Use Prevention. The Coalition will provide a platform to align strategies and maximize collective impact. Stakeholders will be able to transform how mental health, psychosocial...

06 July 2025

6 July 2025  – Mycetoma is a slow-moving but destructive infectious disease that begins in the subcutaneous tissues and can invade the skin, deep tissues, muscle and bone. Caused by more than 70 microorganisms of bacterial or fungal origin, mycetoma thrives in tropical and subtropical environments where thorn injuries are common. Left untreated, the disease progresses from painless nodules to massive swellings....

25 June 2025

26 June 2025, Cairo, Egypt – On International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, marked on 26 June, the World Health Organization (WHO) is highlighting the drug trade’s devastating effects on the health and well-being of populations. Drug use impacts security, safety, and development, costing some countries up to 2% of their GDP due to health-related expenses, crime, and lost...

22 June 2025

23 June 2025, Dublin/Geneva—The World Health Organization (WHO) today released its report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin, warning that action is needed to maintain and accelerate progress in tobacco control as rising industry interference challenges tobacco policies and control efforts. The report focuses on the six proven WHO MPOWER tobacco control...

22 June 2025

22 June 2025, Cairo, Egypt – June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, dedicated to raising awareness about all forms of dementia. Worldwide, dementia is the seventh leading cause of death and a major contributor to disability. The majority (61%) of the 55 million people living with dementia – a number that is expected to increase to approximately 78 million by...

19 June 2025

19 June 2025, Cairo, Egypt – Substance use across the Eastern Mediterranean Region is growing among vulnerable groups, including migrants and displaced persons. This silent crisis, taking place in the shadow of conflict, displacement, marginalization and economic hardship, is compounded by the loss of social support networks. In 2022, 6.7% of people aged between 15 and 64 in the Region had...

06 June 2025

06 June 2025 Q: Is there an increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean Region currently? COVID-19 cases are increasing all over the world, including in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. The virus will continue to mutate and evolve, and this results in new variants that may cause surging trends. The current increases are caused by NB.1.8.1; a variant under monitoring and...

05 June 2025

5 June 2025, Cairo, Egypt – World Environment Day 2025 will be observed on 5 June. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), this year's campaign focuses on tackling plastic pollution, urging countries, organizations, and individuals to act together to protect the planet. While plastics have benefits, including energy savings and resource conservation, the rising plastic pollution poses a significant threat...

04 June 2025

4 June 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The World Health Organization’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean launched a new strategy to reduce the burden of cholera across the Region by 2028. The strategy sets out a blueprint for a scaled-up multisectoral approach to tackle the root causes of cholera spread and prevent future outbreaks, aiming to significantly reduce cholera-related morbidity...

04 June 2025

7 June 2025, Cairo, Egypt – On World Food Safety Day 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) is highlighting the role of scientific research and innovation in ensuring food safety. Scientists contribute to understanding the risks to human health from known, emerging and anticipated food contaminants in many ways. They conduct rigorous research to generate reliable evidence which helps policy-makers, food...

04 June 2025

03 June 2025 - This week marks one year since dozens of personnel from the United Nations, non-governmental and civil society organisations, and diplomatic missions were arbitrarily detained by the Houthi de facto authorities in northern Yemen. Others have been detained since as far back as 2021. Today, we reiterate our urgent demand for their immediate and unconditional release. As of...

03 June 2025

02 June 2025 Your Excellency, Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population of Egypt, Distinguished officials, Representatives of the Egyptian Vaccine Manufacturers Alliance, Colleagues and Partners, On behalf of the World Health Organization, I extend my warmest congratulations to Egypt for becoming the first country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to achieve the regional target for hepatitis B control, as set by the...

02 June 2025

2 June 2025 Fellow Regional Directors, Distinguished Colleagues, Partners, It is my great honour to join you today for the signing of the Regional QPT Joint Statement. The establishment of a Regional Quadripartite One Health Coordination Mechanism is a major step forward for the health and resilience of our Region. The health of people, animals, and ecosystems is deeply interconnected. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region,...

01 June 2025

4 June 2025, Cairo, Egypt –World Blood Donor Day (WBDD), observed each year on 14 June, serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their lifesaving gifts of blood.  A blood service that gives patients access to safe blood and blood products in sufficient quantity is a key...

01 June 2025

01 June 2025 Distinguished Regional Directors, Colleagues, and partners, Substance use is one of the most urgent, yet often neglected, public health challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean Region today. It threatens not only individual health but the security, safety, and economic well-being of our societies. The human and economic toll is staggering. Substance use contributes to the burden of mental health disorders, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and...

28 May 2025

29 May 2025, Cairo, Egypt -- On 31 May the world will mark World No Tobacco Day 2025 under the banner “Bright Products. Dark Intentions”. This year's theme sheds light on the tobacco industry's tactics to lure women and young people into addiction through flavored and colorful products. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death globally, with the World...

27 May 2025

26 May 2025 Thank you all for being here today.  It is always a pleasure to connect with ACANU—you know the issues and care deeply about the UN.  Let me begin with the World Health Assembly—particularly the Pandemic Accord—before turning to Gaza and Sudan.  WHA78 has delivered real breakthroughs for global health, despite a fraught international context.  The Pandemic Agreement? Adopted. The Programme Budget 2026–2027? Endorsed. The...

27 May 2025

31 May 2025 Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death globally, and a major health challenge in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.  An estimated 37 million children aged 13-15 years worldwide use tobacco.  Our Region has the highest youth smoking rates in the world.  An alarming 15 per cent of boys in our Region use tobacco, and the number of boys and girls taking up...

23 May 2025

21 May 2025 WHA78, Geneva, 19-27 May 2025Agenda item: 20Document: A78/16 Chair, Your Excellencies, Director-General As outlined in the Director-General’s report, health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory are at crisis levels. In the West Bank, access to healthcare is significantly hindered by movement restrictions, violence, and disruptions to essential services. Nearly 600 days into the conflict in Gaza, more than 53,000 people have been...

23 May 2025

22 May 2025 WHA78, Geneva, 19-27 May 2025Agenda item: 17.1Document: A78/13 Chair, Your Excellencies, Director-General, The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region shoulders one-third of the world’s humanitarian burden, and 15 per cent of our population requires humanitarian assistance. The unfolding crises in Gaza and Sudan—alongside protracted emergencies in Yemen, Somalia, and Afghanistan—are compounded by ongoing disease outbreaks, revealing the depth and complexity of our challenges. With...

23 May 2025

19 May 2025 WHA78, Geneva, 19-27 May 2025Agenda item: 17.5Document: A78/4 Chair, Your Excellencies, Director-General, When we committed to eradicate polio in 1988, the world was different. Today, conflict, climate change, and economic strain make our mission harder. Yet, our goal is within reach. Since 1988, we have reduced polio cases by 99.9 per cent, eliminated wild poliovirus in five WHO regions, and protected more than...

21 May 2025

19 May 2025 Excellencies, Distinguished Colleagues, It is an honour to join you today, and I thank His Excellency the Chair―Dr Saleh al-Hasnawi, Minister of Health of the Republic of Iraq―for this important opportunity. The World Health Organization greatly values its longstanding partnership with the League of Arab States. Our cooperation is rooted in a shared commitment to improving lives and health across the Arab...

20 May 2025

20 May 2025 Agreement’s adoption follows three years of intensive negotiation launched due to gaps and inequities identified in national and global COVID-19 response. Agreement boosts global collaboration to ensure stronger, more equitable response to future pandemics. Next steps include negotiations on Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing system. Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) today formally adopted by consensus the world's first Pandemic...

19 May 2025

Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – 19 May 2025 – The WHO Foundation has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tawuniya, Saudi Arabia’s largest insurance provider, marking its first-ever corporate partnership in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. This milestone agreement establishes a framework for advancing regional health priorities in alignment with the World Health Organization’s mission. The MoU...

15 May 2025

15 May 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean has launched a landmark innovation designed to transform how countries prepare for and respond to health emergencies. The All-Hazard Information Management (AIM) Toolkit leverages generative artificial intelligence to drastically reduce the time needed to produce critical response documents from weeks to minutes while maintaining...

13 May 2025

13 May 2025 Thank you for joining today’s WHO/EMRO press briefing. I always appreciate the opportunity to connect with our media colleagues. I will begin with an update on some of the most acute emergencies in our Region. We remain deeply concerned about the catastrophic situation in Gaza, with more than 52,000 deaths and nearly 120,000 injuries reported to date. Thousands of health workers...

13 May 2025

12 May 2025 – Cairo/Geneva/Jerusalem, The risk of famine in Gaza is increasing with the deliberate withholding of humanitarian aid, including food, in the ongoing blockade. The entire 2.1 million population of Gaza is facing prolonged food shortages, with nearly half a million people in a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death. This is one of the...

12 May 2025

12 May 2025, Rabat, Morocco – World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy concluded her first official visit to Morocco, from 5 to 7 May 2025. The visit represents a major step in strengthening collaboration between WHO and the Government of Morocco. Dr Balkhy’s meeting with Minister of Health and Social Protection H.E. Amine Tehraoui...

12 May 2025

12 May 2025, Cairo, Egypt – On International Nurses Day 2025, celebrated on 12 May, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and United Arab Emirates are hosting the regional launch of the State of the World’s Nursing 2025 report, complementing the global launch. As we honour the extraordinary contributions and resilience of nurses in the Eastern...

12 May 2025

12 May 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The eighth UN Global Road Safety Week begins on 12 May. This year, the international campaign, requested by the United Nations General Assembly, focuses on walking and cycling. The campaign provides an opportunity to advocate for national and local action to make walking and cycling safer through evidence-based interventions grounded in a comprehensive safe system...

12 May 2025

12 May 2025 Your Excellency Dr Jaleela bint Al-Sayed Jawad Hassan, Distinguished guests, It is an honour to address this important forum, which reflects the shared commitment of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the League of Arab States, and WHO to equitable access to essential medicines and the strengthening of pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing in our Region. I commend Bahrain’s leadership and the League of...

12 May 2025

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...

07 May 2025

7 May 2025, Cairo, Egypt – In February and April 2025, the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal (EMHJ) published 2 special issues on the medical risks and public health implications of the war in Gaza. The issues (Volume 31 Number 2 and Volume 31 Number 4) feature 38 papers on different aspects of public health. Of the 38 papers, 11 focus on...

06 May 2025

6 May 2025, Cairo, Egypt – "It might be gloves. It's always hand hygiene", the theme of this year’s World Hand Hygiene Day (WHHD), emphasizing the critical role of hand hygiene as a simple yet powerful and cost-saving infection prevention and control (IPC) intervention, alongside the importance of appropriate glove use and the need to be aware of the environmental...

29 April 2025

WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy has concluded a successful 3-day visit to Tunisia between 13–16 April 2025. Dr Balkhy met with H.E. Dr Mustafa Ferjani, Minister of Health, to discuss ways to address the social determinants of health, drug addiction, migration of the health workforce, medicine shortages and vaccine plans. The visit reaffirmed WHO’s strong partnership with...

29 April 2025

29 April 2025  Excellencies, Mr. Bilal Ahmad, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mr. Xu Chen, Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China, Esteemed representatives of the Permanent Missions to the UN, Colleagues from UN agencies and civil society organizations, This has been a fascinating discussion―and one that is long overdue. Allow me to introduce Mahmoud Ajjour―aged nine―who was injured during an attack on...

25 April 2025

25 April 2025 On this World Malaria Day, we are reminded of the devastating impact malaria continues to have on the world’s most vulnerable people. In 2023 alone, over 600,000 lives were lost to this preventable and treatable disease. In the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, more than 375 million people remain at risk—most of them in six high-burden countries: Afghanistan, Djibouti, Pakistan, Somalia,...

23 April 2025

24 April 2025, Cairo, Egypt – On World Malaria Day 2025, WHO and partners are promoting ‘Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite’, a campaign that aims to re-energize efforts at all levels, from global policy to community action, to accelerate progress towards malaria elimination. Malaria remains a significant public health challenge globally. In 2023, there were an estimated 263 million new...

23 April 2025

23 April 2025 Your Excellency Dr Fahad Abdulrahman al-Jalajel, Minister of Health, Saudi Arabia, Distinguished colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, Thank you for joining us today at this important gathering of WHO Collaborating Centres in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the WHO Secretariat. I would like to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to each and every one of the WHO Collaborating Centres in the...

22 April 2025

23 April 2025, Cairo, Egypt – World Immunization Week 2025, observed from 24–30 April, brings together the global health community to highlight the lifesaving power of vaccines and call for renewed commitment to immunization for all. Under the banner Immunization for All is Humanly Possible, this year’s campaign stresses how, with collective efforts and investment, everyone can be protected from vaccine-preventable...

22 April 2025

22 April 2025  Your Highness Princess Nouf bint Muhammad bin Abdullah, Excellencies, Distinguished guests,  It gives me great pleasure to join you here to today to discuss the strategic partnership between the World Health Organization and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  I am grateful to our gracious host, the King Khalid Foundation, for bringing us together to explore new opportunities for partnership to advance health across...

17 April 2025

17 April 2025 Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my pleasure to join you here today at the TCT Plus Middle East inaugural international conference on cardiovascular care. We come from a Region of broken hearts. It is enough to turn on the news to have your heart broken a million times each day. But the deeper heartbreak is lived by displaced families in Sudan...

15 April 2025

15 April 2025, Cairo, Egypt – Two years into the conflict, Sudan’s health system is at breaking point. As the rainy season looms the country faces a perfect storm of disease outbreaks, malnutrition and collapsing services at a time when humanitarian access is dangerously restricted and funding for health is running dry. Today, more than 30 million people in Sudan need...

09 April 2025

9 April 2025  – The Sultanate of Oman welcomed World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy for a 1-day visit, on Wednesday, 9 April 2025, to reinforce collaboration to advance Health for All in Oman and the Region. The highlight of the visit was the launch of Oman’s National Health Policy (NHP), an updated framework...

08 April 2025

08 April 2025 Excellencies, Sayyid Dr Sultan bin Yarub bin Qahtan Al-Busaidi, Advisor in the Private Office. Dr Hilal Bin Ali l-Sabti, Minister of Health Ladies and Gentlemen It gives me great pleasure to join you here today to launch the National Health Policy for the Sultanate of Oman 2025-2035. In pursuit of “health for all” and in line with the Oman Vision 2040, this National...

07 April 2025

Jerusalem, Cairo, Geneva, 7 April 2025 – On World Health Day, with the theme “Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures,” the Gaza Strip continues to be one of the most dangerous places to be a child and where pregnancy is clouded by fear due to ongoing violence, displacement and lack of medical access.   Between 18 March and 4 April 2025, since the resumption of...

05 April 2025

On World Health Day, marked every year on 7 April, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for global action to ensure access to high-quality health care for women and babies. Though there has been progress in reducing maternal and newborn mortality, the Eastern Mediterranean Region continues to face significant challenges in ensuring the health and well-being of mothers and newborns,...

26 March 2025

March 2025, Doha, Qatar – WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy concluded a successful official visit to Qatar aimed at strengthening collaboration on key health priorities, including health emergencies, climate change, humanitarian response, health workforce development and substance use. The visit marked a significant step in WHO’s deepening partnership with Qatar. In meetings with senior Qatari officials...

19 March 2025

24 March 2025 Tuberculosis remains a major public health challenge in the Eastern Mediterranean region, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In 2023 alone, the region recorded 936,000 new TB cases and nearly 86,000 deaths. Every 34 seconds, someone falls ill with tuberculosis, and every six minutes, another life is lost. These deaths are avoidable because TB is a curable disease. In our region, treatment...

18 March 2025

18 March 2025 Colleagues, members of the press,  Good afternoon.  Thank you for joining us today.  Before I begin my briefing, I would like to mention that the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal recently launched a two-part series focused on Gaza.   The first issue explores the war’s impacts on health, offering scientific evidence, practical recommendations for policy, advocacy, and interventions, and provides a foundation for future...

18 March 2025

17 March 2025, Kabul, Afghanistan – The World Health Organization (WHO) in Afghanistan is deeply concerned that funding shortages could force the closure of 80% of WHO-supported essential health care services. Millions, including vulnerable populations such as women, children, the elderly, the displaced and returnees, will be left without access to critical medical care. As of 4 March 2025, 167 health...

06 March 2025

6 March 2025 – “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, celebrated each year on 8 March, resonates deeply with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) commitment to promote gender equality in the health sector across the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Women are the backbone of the health and social services workforce, comprising approximately...

05 March 2025

5 March 2025, Cairo, Egypt – In 2024, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean celebrated 10 years of collaboration supporting cancer surveillance. The IARC-WHO Regional Office partnership has ensured a decade of progress in the development of sustainable and high-quality cancer surveillance systems in countries across the...

03 March 2025

On the occasion of Obesity Day, 4 March 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for urgent action to tackle the growing obesity problem which is now recognized as one of the most significant public health challenges of our time. This year’s theme, Building a healthy future: tackling obesity through prevention and care, serves as a rallying cry for governments,...

02 March 2025

2 March 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The theme of World Hearing Day 2025, marked annually on 3 March, builds on the previous year’s focus on changing mindsets towards ear and hearing care. This year’s campaign aims to encourage individuals to recognize the importance of ear and hearing health and inspire them to change behaviour to protect their hearing from loud sounds...

01 March 2025

Closing statement Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 28 February 2025 Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Partners, and colleagues, As this policy dialogue on strengthening the public health response to substance use draws to a close, I am heartened by the dedication and commitment you have shown over the past three days, as articulated in the consensus statement agreed today. I want to personally thank you for the...

28 February 2025

Polio campaign in Gaza Strip reaches around 603 000 children with better access 28 February 2025, Jerusalem/Amman/Geneva – A five-day mass polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip concluded on Wednesday, reaching nearly 603 000 children under 10 years of age with novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) following comprehensive, simultaneous access to all five governorates during the ongoing ceasefire. The...

26 February 2025

26–28 February 2025, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and the National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) in Abu Dhabi, a WHO collaborating centre for substance use, are convening a high-level policy dialogue to strengthen the public health response to substance use in the Region. The meeting, which is part of...

26 February 2025

Opening statement 26 February 2025 Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Partners, We are gathered here today to discuss an extremely grave and urgent matter. A matter that destroys individuals, tears families apart and eviscerates communities. A situation that has only worsened in recent years and―in many corners of our region―is spiralling out of control.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I begin my intervention with some uncomfortable truths. Around the world, an estimated...

25 February 2025

Agreements strengthen cholera response and malaria prevention in Yemen, boost global polio eradication efforts and support dialysis treatment for Sudanese refugees Riyadh 25 February 2025 – The World Health Organization (WHO) and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) agreed a series of new pledges to deliver life-saving health interventions for people threatened by cholera and malaria in Yemen,...

25 February 2025

Geneva, Switzerland – 25 February 2025 – The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) – one of the most widely embraced UN treaties in history – celebrates the 20-year anniversary of its entry into force this week. The WHO FCTC is the first ever public health treaty negotiated under the auspices of WHO with 183 Parties to the Convention...

20 February 2025

20 February 2025 – Substance use disorders represent one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time, with profound consequences for individuals, communities, and societies. Drug use disorders affect physical and mental health, undermine economic stability and national security and strain public health systems. With drug use rising globally, comprehensive policies and treatment programmes are urgently needed. Drug use...

19 February 2025

19 February 2025 – The emergency polio outbreak response in the Gaza Strip is continuing, with a mass vaccination campaign scheduled from 22 to 26 February 2025. The novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) will be administered to over 591 000 children under 10 years of age to protect them from polio. This campaign follows the recent detection of...

16 February 2025

World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy paid an official visit to Kuwait between 9 and 12 February 2025. During the visit, Dr Balkhy met with senior officials and leaders in the health, industrial, investment, humanitarian and civil society sectors. Below are some of the highlights of the visit. WHO collaborates with Kuwaiti civil society organizations On...

13 February 2025

13 February 2025 Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to join you in inaugurating the Poliovirus Environmental Surveillance Diagnostic Laboratory at the National Polio Laboratory in Muscat, Oman. This state-of-the-art polio surveillance facility marks a significant milestone in our collective fight against polio and reaffirms our unwavering commitment to public health. On behalf of the World Health Organization and the...

13 February 2025

13 February 2025, Cairo, Egypt – To mark World Epilepsy Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) is raising awareness about epilepsy, a common neurological disorder that can affect anyone, at any age. An estimated 4.7 million people with epilepsy live in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. It is among the 3 most frequently encountered neurological disorders in primary health care settings in...

13 February 2025

13 February 2025, Cairo, Egypt – As the world observes International Childhood Cancer Day (15 February), the World Health Organization (WHO) is highlighting the challenges faced by children with cancer in countries affected by conflict and emergencies. In Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory, the Syrian Arab Republic, Yemen and other parts of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, children battling cancer face not...

10 February 2025

10 February 2025  Your Excellency Dr Ahmad Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi, Minister of Health of Kuwait, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great pleasure to join you here today at Kuwait’s second conference on Healthy Cities. Our health is impacted by where and how we live, and most of us live in cities. More than 60 per cent of the Arab population live in urban centres. So...

09 February 2025

February 2025 Esteemed Chair, Your Excellencies, Director-General, It is my honour to brief you on the 71st session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean. As a new Regional Director, I was pleased to receive strong support from the Committee. The Committee endorsed a strategic operational plan which will guide implementation of GPW 14 in our Region. The plan includes initiatives to strengthen the...

09 February 2025

February 2025 Esteemed Chair, Your Excellencies, Director-General, Ours is the only remaining WHO region with endemic wild poliovirus. We have an immense responsibility, which the region has accepted with confidence and commitment. As 2024 began, we were on the verge of eradicating wild poliovirus in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the last two polio-endemic countries. But then came a resurgence, alongside outbreaks of variant poliovirus in...

09 February 2025

February 2025 Esteemed Chair, Your Excellencies, Director-General, The suffering in the Gaza Strip is beyond comprehension. Tens of thousands of people have died, and around 30 000 have life-changing injuries. The health system is ruined. Malnutrition is rising. The risk of famine persists. Families are returning to devastated neighbourhoods. Almost no health facilities remain intact. Our only comfort lies in the courage, dedication and resilience of the people...

06 February 2025

15 January 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The Regional Health Alliance (RHA) Strategic Dialogue, Towards One Regional WHO-UN Health Agenda in 2025, convened 86 in-person and 11 virtual attendees, including the technical focal points and regional directors of the 18 participating UN agencies. Attendees from the 3 levels of WHO included assistant directors general from WHO headquarters, senior management, including directors of...

29 January 2025

29 January 2025 Good afternoon to all journalists and media representatives, and thank you for your continued efforts to shed light on the humanitarian and health situation in our Region — home to some of the most vulnerable people on the planet today. For the first time since I took office, we find ourselves in a moment of fragile hope. A ceasefire...

28 January 2025

Cairo, Egypt, 29 January 2025 – On the occasion of World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) is urging governments, leaders, communities and individuals to unite, act and eliminate NTDs through bold, sustainable investments. This call is especially important for the estimated 1.5 billion people living in the world’s most vulnerable communities, who are trapped...

23 January 2025

23 January 2025, Cairo, Egypt – Under the auspices of H.E. Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population of Egypt, the Presidential Initiative on Women’s Health convened a high-level dialogue today at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Cairo. The event brought together national, regional, and global leaders to address one of the most pressing health...

19 January 2025

19 January 2025, Jerusalem, Cairo, Geneva – The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the Gaza ceasefire, hostage and prisoner release deal, which brings hope for millions of people whose lives have been ravaged by the conflict. The health challenges ahead are immense. The entire population of Gaza has faced multiple displacements. More than 46 600 people have been killed and over 110...

12 January 2025

On 15 January 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, under the leadership of Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy, will host a landmark meeting of the Regional Health Alliance (RHA) at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Cairo, Egypt. Bringing together over 80 participants from the 18 UN organizations in the Alliance, the high-level gathering marks a...

28 December 2024

28 December 2024 - WHO is appalled by yesterday’s raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital, which put the last major health facility in North Gaza out of service. The systematic dismantling of the health system and a siege for over 80 days on North Gaza puts the lives of the 75,000 Palestinians remaining in the area at risk. Initial reports indicate that...

23 December 2024

23 December 2024, Aden, Yemen – Yemen bears the highest burden of cholera globally. The country has experienced persistent cholera transmission for many years, including the largest outbreak – between 2017 and 2020 – recorded in recent history. As of 1 December, Yemen had reported 249 900 suspected cases of cholera, with 861 associated deaths since the beginning of the year....

19 December 2024

Thousands of civilians require reconstructive surgeries and physical rehabilitation. All but one hospital are gradually reopening, while most are not operating at full capacity. 20 December 2024, Beirut, Lebanon – The ceasefire and the cessation of hostilities took effect on 27 November, offering temporary relief for the millions of civilians caught in the conflict in Lebanon. But Lebanon’s suffering did not...

17 December 2024

17 December 2024, Cairo, Egypt – In a significant step towards improving access to essential medicines, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean have signed a memorandum of agreement to establish a pooled procurement mechanism for public health supplies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. The agreement, formalized during the 12th Global Management Meeting...

15 December 2024

Wednesday, 18 December 2024 – The theme of this year’s International Migrants Day – Honouring the Contributions of Migrants and Respecting Their Rights – helps remind us of the positive contributions migrants make to the societies and countries that host them, the challenges they face in achieving their full potential and capabilities, and the urgent need for collective action to...

08 December 2024

12 December 2024, Cairo, Egypt — Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day is celebrated annually on 12 December. This year’s theme, “Health: It’s on the government”, underscores the role governments play in ensuring that no one is forced to choose between health care and necessities such as food. To mark UHC Day 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on governments...

05 December 2024

5 December 2024 – The Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal (EMJH) has published a special edition examining the role of taxation in addressing the public health challenges posed by the consumption of tobacco and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Consumption of SSBs and tobacco and nicotine products increases the risk of contracting noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, cardiovascular disease and...

04 December 2024

4 December 2024 Good afternoon, everyone, and greetings from Cairo. As we hold our final press briefing of the year, I am reflecting on the steadily increasing health needs of our Region, and the road that lies ahead. This has been a profoundly difficult year, marked by tremendous grief and loss for the people of our Region. The path ahead is fraught with...

03 December 2024

2 December 2024, Cairo, Egypt – The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new report that highlights how, if left unaddressed, breast and cervical cancers in the Eastern Mediterranean Region could result in the loss of millions of lives and billions of dollars over the next 2 decades. Women’s cancers represent a major public health challenge in the Region, causing...

01 December 2024

This World AIDS Day, I want to emphasize the importance of knowing one’s HIV status. There are an estimated 530 000 people living with HIV in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, but just 38% of them know that they are HIV positive. Only those who know their [HIV] status can access treatment, live healthy lives and prevent transmission to others. Providing voluntary HIV...

26 November 2024

26 November 2024, Cairo/Kabul – WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy recently concluded a 3-day visit to Afghanistan where she met with the country’s de facto authorities, health officials and humanitarian partners to discuss critical health priorities. Central to the discussions were Afghanistan’s efforts to eradicate polio, promote equitable access to quality health care, address substance...

25 November 2024

16 days of activism to end violence against women The 16 Days of Activism campaign is an annual call for action to End Violence Against Women. In February 2000, the United Nations General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. We have made some progress since then, but sadly we still have a long way...

24 November 2024

24 November 2024, Cairo, Egypt – Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a major threat to public health, economic growth and development in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Misuse and overuse of antibiotics is a key driver of AMR. At almost 25% higher than the global average, the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region has the highest antibiotic consumption in the world. Marking...

22 November 2024

More health workers and patients have been killed proportionally in Lebanon than in Ukraine and Gaza 22 November 2024, Beirut, Lebanon – Since 7 October 2023, 47% of attacks on health care – 65 out of 137 – have proven fatal to at least one health worker or patient in Lebanon, as of 21 November 2024. This is a higher percentage than...

19 November 2024

17 November 2024 – Every day, at least 300 people in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region lose their lives due to road crashes, and many more suffer injuries and disabilities. So, we never forget the faces behind the numbers, World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was started in 1993. In 2005, the United Nations endorsed it as a global...

14 November 2024

Breaking barriers, bridging gaps: uniting to strengthen diabetes well-being. 14 November 2024, Cairo, Egypt – World Diabetes Day, commemorated annually on 14 November, provides an opportunity to raise awareness about diabetes as a global public health issue and emphasize the collective and individual actions needed to improve the prevention, diagnosis and management of the condition. This year's theme, "Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps:...

12 November 2024

12 November 2024, Doha, Qatar – The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), an initiative of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, will host its seventh edition of the WISH Summit (WISH7) on 13 and 14 November 2024. Over 2 days, more than 3000 health policy-makers, innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers and practitioners will meet at the Qatar National...

11 November 2024

Dear colleagues, Good morning from Cairo, Egypt. 11 November 2024 - Since our last briefing on health emergencies, the conflict we feared would escalate has intensified, leading to a devastating deterioration in the Middle East, particularly in the occupied Palestinian territory and Lebanon. The Famine Review Committee has warned of imminent famine in North Gaza and 15 UN agency leaders have described the...

10 November 2024

10 November 2024 – My first visit to Somalia as Regional Director took place as the country stands at a crossroads. On the one hand, Somalia is reeling from more than 3 decades of conflict and instability, extreme weather events, disease outbreaks and regional fragility. On the other, the country is poised for change. Somalia’s leaders are committed to transformation...

07 November 2024

6 November 2024 – The second round of the polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip was completed yesterday, with an overall 556 774 children under the age of 10 being vaccinated with a second dose of polio vaccine, and 448 425 children between 2- to 10-years-old receiving vitamin A, following the three phases conducted in the last weeks. Administrative data...

30 October 2024

Djibouti is making strides despite the odds. During my visit to the country on 30 – 31 October 2024 I was inspired by the government’s commitment to universal health coverage, even as it grapples with pressures from climate change and migration which place significant strains on health services. Djibouti’s position as a key transit point means it faces unique public health...

23 October 2024

October 2024, Cairo, Egypt ̶ Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women globally, accounting for 1 in 6 female deaths. Each year, it accounts for around 25% of all cancers diagnosed in women. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, over 130 000 new cases were reported in 2022, underscoring the urgent need for awareness and action. Every October, the...

23 October 2024

23 October 2024, Jerusalem/Amman/Geneva- Due to the escalating violence, intense bombardment, mass displacement orders, and lack of assured humanitarian pauses across most of northern Gaza, the Polio Technical Committee for Gaza, including the Palestinian Ministry of Health, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and partners have...

22 October 2024

22 October 2024, Gaza, Cairo, Geneva – On 21 October, 14 patients and 10 caregivers were transferred from Kamal Adwan in North Gaza to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City during a high-risk, WHO-led joint mission, amid intense hostilities and access restrictions. Despite an initial agreement, the delivery of critical medical supplies, blood, and fuel—resources essential for keeping Kamal Adwan and...

20 October 2024

A total of 44 countries and 1 territory have reached the malaria-free milestone 20 October 2024 | Geneva / Cairo - The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Egypt as ‘malaria-free’, marking a significant public health milestone for a country with more than 100 million inhabitants. The achievement follows a nearly 100-year effort by the Egyptian government and people to end...

17 October 2024

17 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – WHO has secured an additional US$ 18 million in funding commitments from key partners, to complement US$ 18 million already in the pipeline. The pledges, by ATscale – Global Partnership for Assistive Technology and the Hamdard Foundation, and the pledge by the Islamic Development Bank earmarking the Health Impact Investment Platform, highlight growing global...

17 October 2024

17 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – The Seventy-first session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean (RC71), held under the theme Health Beyond Borders, concluded today in Qatar. Following 4 days of intense discussions and the exchange of views and experiences between ministers of health and representatives of Member States, partner organizations and WHO experts, RC71 adopted a series of...

17 October 2024

17 October 2024 Doha, Qatar Your Excellencies, Media colleagues, Distinguished guests, I would like to welcome you to this press conference. We have just concluded the 71st session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean, which was held from 14 to 17 October 2024, and hosted by the State of Qatar. Before I start, I would like to thank Qatar for their generous hospitality and excellent...

17 October 2024

Wednesday, 16 October 2024 Thank you for joining us for this special event. Today we stand at a critical juncture. The next six years will determine whether we succeed in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 3 on good health and well-being – in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and globally. The WHO Investment Round aims to make sure that WHO is optimally placed...

16 October 2024

16 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – Mental health is crucial for individuals, communities and nations to achieve their full potential. The Eastern Mediterranean Region is home to 40% of the world’s population in need of humanitarian assistance and hosts 55% of the world’s refugees. Over the past 7 decades, many of the Region’s countries and territories have experienced wars, civil strife,...

16 October 2024

16 October 2024, Cairo, Egypt – Each year nearly 5 million deaths occur because of trauma and a further 45 million sustain life changing injuries. This exceeds deaths caused by the combined effects of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV. In 2023, in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 8 Member States each recorded over 1000 conflict-related deaths (range 1038–14 248), including seven Member States...

15 October 2024

Your Excellencies Ministers of Health and Heads of Delegations, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my honour and pleasure to present my report on WHO’s work in the Region to you today. The annual report publication that was shared with you provides extensive information about WHO’s activities and achievements during 2023. It testifies to the hard work, dedication and tenacity of my revered predecessor, Dr...

15 October 2024

Your Excellency Dr Hanan Al-Kuwari, Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to join this launch of the report “Changing the game: strengthening health and well-being through sports events”. The report is one fruit of the partnership between the State of Qatar, WHO and FIFA which aimed to create a lasting legacy out of Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It...

15 October 2024

15 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – The incidence of vector-borne diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region has increased significantly in the past decade. Factors include climate change, expanding and unplanned urbanization, international travel and population movement, weakened health systems in countries facing emergencies and other crises, chronic underinvestment in vector control capacity and growing resistance to insecticides. Since 1 January 2023...

15 October 2024

15 October 2024 –The 12th meeting of the Regional Subcommittee for Polio Eradication and Outbreaks was held during the 71st session of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region’s Regional Committee, marking another crucial step in the region’s pursuit of a polio-free future. The session witnessed robust participation, with a high number of interventions from Member States and members of the Regional...

15 October 2024

15 October 2024 – In December 2021, the World Health Assembly established the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), tasked with negotiating and drafting a convention, agreement or other international instrument to strengthen global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response efforts. The INB's mission is firmly grounded in the principles of inclusiveness, transparency, efficiency, Member State leadership and consensus. INB’s work on a pandemic agreement...

15 October 2024

15 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – Vaccines save over 4 million lives each year. Recognizing their critical role, in August 2020 the 73rd World Health Assembly adopted the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030). This global initiative aims to enhance immunization efforts within primary health care systems. Access to essential vaccines remains a pressing issue: 1 in 4 children in the Region lacks...

15 October 2024

16 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a major threat to health and health systems. The Global Burden of Disease study recently revealed that 1.14 million deaths were linked to bacterial AMR worldwide in 2021 and the World Bank estimated that after 2023 the global GDP shortfall due to AMR would exceed US$ 1 trillion annually, exacerbating...

15 October 2024

16 October 2024, Cairo, Egypt – Efficient health information systems (HISs) improve health outcomes and the management of health services by facilitating better-informed policies and planning. In many countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, however, health data are often incomplete, fragmented or of inadequate quality, hindering the ability of decision-makers to formulate timely, efficient and concise health plans. WHO is...

14 October 2024

14 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – The 71st session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean (RC71) opened this morning in Doha, Qatar. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who joined virtually, and WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy inaugurated the event alongside H.E. the Minister of Public Health of Qatar Dr Hanan Al-Kuwari...

14 October 2024

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Your Excellencies Dr Tedros, Director General of the WHO Dr Hanan Balky, Regional Director of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Honourable Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته It is with immense pleasure and honour that Qatar is hosting this significant event, the Seventy-First session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean and we are confident that it will...

14 October 2024

Your Excellencies, Regional Director, Dr Hanan Balkhy Distinguished guests, Assalamu Alaikum, Good morning, It is with profound gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility that I stand before you today as the Federal Minister of Health of our beloved nation, Somalia, and as Chair of the seventieth session of the Regional Committee held last year in Cairo. In conducting this role, I have consistently...

14 October 2024

Honourable Minister Dr Ali Haji Abubakar, Honourable Minister Dr Hanan Mohamed Al-Kuwari, Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy, Honourable Ministers and heads of delegation, Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends, Good morning, greetings from Berlin, and I apologise that I cannot be with you in person. I thank Qatar for hosting this year’s Regional Committee Meeting, which comes at a very difficult time for the region, with conflict...

14 October 2024

Your Excellencies Ministers of Health and Heads of Delegations, Director-General, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my honour and pleasure to welcome you to the 71st session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean. This is my first Regional Committee as Regional Director, and I would like to start by thanking our outgoing Chair, His Excellency Dr Ali Haji Adam Abubakar, Minister of Health...

14 October 2024

14 October 2024, Cairo, Egypt – An unprecedented series of natural disasters, prolonged conflicts and humanitarian emergencies have left the Eastern Mediterranean Region in desperate need of innovative approaches to build a healthier future for its 750 million inhabitants. Expanding timely and equitable access to life-saving medicines and vaccines, building a more resilient health workforce and reducing morbidity, mortality and the...

14 October 2024

14 October 2024, Cairo, Egypt – WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy introduced the new Regional Strategic Operational Plan for the coming 4 years for review and endorsement during the Seventy-first session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean. With the ambitious goal of enabling all peoples of the Region to lead the healthiest lives...

10 October 2024

11 October 2024, Doha, Qatar ‒ The Seventy-first session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean will be held in Doha, Qatar from 14 to 17 October 2024 under the theme health beyond borders: action, access, equity. Ministers of health and high-level representatives of the 22 Member States and territories of WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region, and representatives of partner...

08 October 2024

I would like to welcome you to this media briefing ahead of the Seventy-first session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean which will convene between the 14 and 17 October in Doha, Qatar under the theme Health beyond borders: action, access, equity. As you will be aware, this year’s session – my first as Regional Director – is being...

03 October 2024

3 October 2024, Oman – World Health Organization Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy visited the Sultanate of Oman between 30 September–3 October, where she met with H.E. the Minister of Health Dr Hilal bin Ali Al Sabti and other senior officials and participated in the First Omani Healthy City Conference in Salalah, Dhofar Governorate. “My meeting with...

02 October 2024

30 September 2024, Cairo, Egypt – The Eastern Mediterranean Region faces a huge burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including chronic kidney disease (CKD). The Region’s frequent humanitarian emergencies –including conflicts, natural disasters and public health crises – place enormous strain on health care systems, making it particularly difficult to provide specialized care such as renal dialysis. In times of crisis, ensuring...

02 October 2024

1 October 2024, Cairo, Egypt – This year’s International Day of Older Persons, celebrated annually on 1 October, adopts the theme Ageing with Dignity: The Importance of Strengthening Care and Support Systems for Older Persons Worldwide. People are living longer, and while the trajectory of each person’s life is different, older people are more likely to experience complex, chronic conditions, the...

01 October 2024

1 October 2024, Islamabad, Cairo, Geneva – In a monumental achievement for public health, the World Health Organization (WHO) has validated the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Pakistan. Trachoma is a disease caused by infection by the Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium and can result in irreversible blindness if left untreated. Pakistan becomes the 19th country globally to reach...

29 September 2024

26 September 2024, Cairo, Egypt – On World Heart Day 2024, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean joins the global movement campaigning under the banner ‘Use Heart for Action’ to empower individuals to take responsibility for their heart health and advocate for stronger national cardiovascular health action plans. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of death globally. In...

24 September 2024

WHO believes the number of attacks is likely much higher than what is currently verifiable Cairo, September 24, 2024 - The number of attacks on healthcare facilities in Sudan since the onset of the armed conflict in April 2023 has exceeded 100, with 108 incidents verified by WHO until mid-September. WHO believes that the number of attacks is likely much higher than...

23 September 2024

23 September 2024, Cairo, Egypt – Yazan is a 20-year-old Syrian who was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma as a child. The conflict in Syria and resulting humanitarian crisis meant that Yazan struggled to access treatment for his cancer, and he received little support from his school and community. “I was denied entry to my final exams because I couldn’t climb the...