Participants listen to the WHO expert during her presentation. Photo credit: M. Ismaili4 December 2023, Rabat, Morocco – The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean ran a 2-day training programme in Rabat, Morocco, to strengthen the risk assessment capacities of the Moroccan Ministry of Health.

Experts from the WHO Regional Office, WHO Country Office in Morocco and Ministry of Health facilitated the training.

The training equipped Ministry of Health personnel with the knowledge and skills to detect, risk assess, notify and respond to health risks and acute health emergencies. This was done through presentations and simulation exercises that let participants hone a readiness to mitigate the impacts of real-life public health emergencies.

One of the training presentations given by the WHO expert. Photo credit: M. IsmailiThe training further focused on the use of iterative, comprehensive and standardized rapid risk assessments during epidemics and pandemics to enhance decision-making for impactful control measures. This approach aims to mitigate the adverse social, economic and political impacts seen during previous epidemics, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Rabat training is part of a series of trainings that aims to strengthen the capacities of Member States and territories. The series focuses on bolstering their capacities to conduct rapid risk assessments and public health situation analysis.