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 have been killed, injured, or detained. Hospitals that remain open are barely operational. People are dying while life-saving medical supplies sit just beyond Gaza’s borders–denied entry.
After nine weeks of total blockade, the Israeli authorities propose to shut down the UN-led aid distribution system and deliver aid under conditions set by the military.
WHO and the UN will not participate in any initiative that violates humanitarian principles. Aid must reach those in need—wherever they are―and the blockade must end.
According to the IPC Acute Food Insecurity and Malnutrition Analysis released yesterday, all 2.1 million people in Gaza face prolonged food shortages, with one in five people―nearly half a million―facing starvation.
Three quarters of Gaza’s population are at “Emergency” or “Catastrophic” levels of food deprivation, the two worst levels on IPC’s five-point scale.
Famine has not yet been declared, but people are starving and disease is spreading fast.
Without urgent action, this situation will rapidly deteriorate.
In Yemen, where recent airstrikes have killed or injured over 1,000 people, and attacks on health facilities persist, WHO is delivering essential trauma supplies.
Yemen is also facing one of the world’s largest cholera outbreaks—over 270,000 suspected cases and nearly 900 deaths in the past year, resulting in an overall case fatality ratio (CFR) of 0.33 per cent.
In Sudan, attacks on civilians and health infrastructure continue.
Over 400,000 people have fled renewed violence in El Fasher and Zamzam camp.
Sudan is facing the world’s worst hunger crisis in terms of scale. An estimated 24.6 million people will face high levels of food insecurity this month, including 770,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
WHO is supporting 136 nutrition stabilization centres, which have treated 8,000 children this year, and is delivering medical supplies to address urgent needs.
We have also deployed teams and supplies to help authorities combat cholera, which has killed over 1,600 people across 12 states.
Yesterday, 12 May, was International Nurses’ Day. We launched the second State of the World’s Nursing Report, which warns that, without urgent action, major nursing shortages will persist beyond 2030—especially in vulnerable regions like ours.
Nurses are the backbone of our health systems―yet they remain under-supported, underpaid, and under-protected.
In places like Sudan and Gaza, where health systems are on the brink of collapse, nurses remain at the frontlines―risking their lives to save the lives of others.
In 2024, 61 per cent of all global attacks on health care occurred in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and over 80 per cent of those attacks impacted health personnel.
Despite making up nearly half of the health workforce, nurse density in the Region is just 15.5 per 10,000 people—a fraction of what is needed to deliver safe, quality care. This shortage leaves health systems dangerously fragile—especially in crises.
Of course, the needs in countries with graded emergencies go well beyond workforce shortages.
Cuts to overseas development aid have critically undermined WHO’s ability to deliver essential health services in the Eastern Mediterranean, affecting millions.
This Region accounts for over half of WHO’s global emergency funding needs, but in 2025, WHO has received just seven per cent of the funds required to respond to emergencies across the Eastern Mediterranean.
Health facilities risk closure or severe disruption, leaving refugees and displaced people without emergency care, medicines, mental health support, or trauma services.
Disease outbreak detection and control are also severely compromised, with surveillance disrupted and laboratory capacities diminished, heightening the risk of uncontrolled epidemics.
Millions of lives are at risk. We need sustained, predictable financing to maintain emergency health services now and build resilience for the future.
These and other crises will take centre stage next week at the 78th World Health Assembly.
Member States will meet for the 42nd Programme, Budget and Administration Committee, the Assembly, and the 157th session of the WHO Executive Board.
Together, they will assess progress and make critical decisions—from emergency preparedness and response to the 2026–2027 programme budget.
One of the most high-profile items is the Pandemic Agreement. After three years of negotiation, the draft is now ready for adoption. It aims to strengthen international collaboration to prevent and respond to future pandemics.
Key proposals focus on pandemic preparedness through the One Health approach, stronger health systems, a skilled emergency workforce, geographically diverse R&D, a global supply chain and logistics network, technology transfer, a
pathogen access and benefit sharing system, and a coordinated financing mechanism.
If adopted and fully implemented, this Agreement could prevent the chaos, competition, and inequity that defined the COVID-19 pandemic. It could establish a more effective, evidence-based global response—rooted in solidarity and shared responsibility.
But adoption is just the beginning. Success will require political will, long-term investment, and whole-of-society engagement—from governments and communities to scientists and the private sector.
WHO will play a critical role in the implementation of the Pandemic Agreement. We stand ready to support countries in turning these commitments into real-world impact.
Finally, I would like to mention that the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal (EMHJ) has published part 2 of its special issue on the medical risks and health implications of the war in Gaza. It is accessible on the WHO/EMRO website.
I now hand over to Nurse Alice Skaar from the Norwegian Aid Committee (Norwac), who has just completed her latest rotation at the European Gaza Hospital.