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 Kingdom.
WHO currently has 776 collaborating centres around the world, 59 of which are in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
In Saudi Arabia, you are ten―and soon to be eleven this year―each playing a vital role in bridging global policy with local action and expertise.
With your insights and support, WHO is more agile, better informed, and more effective in addressing a wide range of health priorities.
WHO Collaborating Centres contribute specialized expertise that advances technical knowledge and innovation; extend WHO’s operational reach by supporting programme implementation; and strengthen capacity by training health professionals and reinforcing public health systems.
You generate evidence that informs global health policy and practice, develop and promote international standards, and provide rapid technical support during health emergencies―including in diagnostics, risk assessment, and technical guidance.
Many of you here today are actively engaged in promoting health and preventing disease, expanding access to quality healthcare, enhancing emergency preparedness and climate resilience, supporting polio eradication, and strengthening evidence-based policymaking.
Some of you are also working to improve access to essential medicines, scale up and upskill the health workforce, and address the growing challenge of substance use.
These are all critical components of the Regional Strategic Operational Plan 2025-2028 and its accelerators―the three regional flagship initiatives.
Today, we will explore how to bring your unique skills together in the collective service of these shared health goals—for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and for the Region.
I look forward to an engaging and productive discussion.
Thank you.