07 February 2023
As part of WHO’s ongoing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives for a respectful workplace, Riffat Zahoor Abbasi, Pakistan country office receptionist and member of the Regional Office’s DEI regional catalyst group, speaks about the importance of tolerance, acceptance and empathy. Incorporating these three factors in our day-to-day work comes in many forms. As an international organization containing diverse personalities hailing from different backgrounds, Ms Abbasi thinks that an “empathy lens” should be put on prior to dealing with others during the day ahead. She adds that by looking inwards and practicing...
07 February 2023
As consciousness of the issue of sexual misconduct has risen across WHO, Director of PRSEAH, Gaya Gamhewage, describes the key components that enable this form of misconduct and how the Organization is addressing it. Dr Gamhewage points to a lingering fear of reporting due to a perceived lack of consequences for misconduct, a lack of policy clarity and an exploitation of power dynamics as the primary enablers that pave the way for sexual misconduct in the workplace. As a result, many victims and survivors of it feel it is futile to...
07 February 2023
In December 2022, the 11th Global Management Meeting (11GMM) took place at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, after a four-year hiatus. The meeting involved WHO representatives, directors from headquarters and regional offices, regional directors and the Director-General, and took place under the overarching theme of “One WHO”. A key outcome was the agreement to develop and implement a plan of action, detailing concrete steps for implementation of the meeting’s recommendations, to significantly strengthen WHO’s presence and impact in countries. To take forward the implementation of the recommendations, as advised by the...
07 February 2023
As a grade 3 emergency country, preventing and responding to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PRSEAH) in Afghanistan is paramount across all areas of WHO’s work in Afghanistan to be able to effectively deliver on the ground. Respectful workplace focal point and National Professional Officer in the country, Sharifullah Haqmal, speaks on the importance of prioritizing PRSEAH within this context. He highlights that identifying focal points for local nongovernmental organizations and providing them with training, can bring WHO’s partners up to speed, empowering them to serve as active “upstanders”, and adds...
07 February 2023
The “100-day challenge” was established to drive measurable impact in countries in a short period of time by encouraging the systematic and consistent use of data in the prioritization of WHO’s work. To realize this vision, nine country offices were selected from the different WHO regions to pilot the challenge, with Bahrain and the Islamic Republic of Iran as the two countries from our Region. Here, the WHO Representative to Bahrain, Dr Tasnim Atatrah, speaks to us about converting priorities into tangible results through the “100-day challenge”. Guided by recommendations from WHO...
02 October 2022
The open-door policy serves as a cornerstone in maintaining a positive work environment under Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. Through regular communication and feedback with senior management, staff and colleagues can form a deepening sense of connection to the Organization. Dr Al-Mandhari reflects on how the policy continues to expand his own understanding and approaches for constructing a welcoming environment at the Regional Office. How do you see the open-door policy promoting a positive work environment at the Regional Office? “This policy serves as one of the...
02 October 2022
Maintaining staff momentum during the transformation process is an essential component in internalizing change, so that transformation becomes an intrinsic part of the Organization rather than just a topic of interest. To assist in this, Ms Sabine Bhanot, Change Management Specialist from the United Nations System Staff Colleges (UNSSC), shares her inputs on implementing reform. To realize effective change, Sabine emphasizes the need to establish a framework for milestones – recognizing them and celebrating achievements along the transformation journey. She notes that change is a continuum, and so actions for...
02 October 2022
Based at the Regional Office for over seven years, Infectious Hazard Prevention and Preparedness Manager for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE), Dr Abdinasir Abubakar reflects on the core skills and processes he learned as an Incident Management Support Team (IMST) leader. He describes how these skills have enabled his work while serving as the acting WHO Representative in Lebanon. Open-mindedness Equipped with a firm foundation in technical and leadership skills, the former IMST leader thinks that open-mindedness has also helped to provide a smooth transition for his shift to a country...
02 October 2022
Driven by the motivation to break down silos, realign communication and ensure that all staff feel heard and secure, the WHO Country Office in Jordan is piloting the Region’s first country transformation team. Heralding this new era of change, Dr Jamela Al-Raiby, WHO Representative in Jordan, stresses the urgent need for recognizing communication gaps and challenges. And so after the reinstitution of the Regional Transformation Team, Jordan’s Country Office has stepped up to put transformation into action at the country level. Volunteers from all units, both national and international staff, and...
02 October 2022
Maintaining your mental health and creating a good work-life balance means paying attention to both organizational and individual factors. To support the mental health and well-being of WHO staff, the first regional staff counsellor, Mr Athanasios Chirvatidis, provides some examples of practical action. He explains that setting healthy boundaries and following an organized schedule after working hours is essential. Some issues that staff may face include difficulties in the workplace, personal issues or even critical incidents. The new virtual working modalities can also present challenges to staff well-being, so additional support mechanisms...
09 August 2022
WHO is making gender mainstreaming a priority across its offices in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. The Organization’s country office in Pakistan offers a good example. In June 2021, Regional Director Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari and WHO Representative to Pakistan Dr Palitha Mahipala inaugurated a well-equipped daycare centre in the office to support all staff. The service is currently used by mainly female staff. Designed for children under-5 years of age, the new centre includes a breastfeeding room, an outdoor playground and more to accommodate their needs within a safe and secure environment. The...
09 August 2022
Sudan faces multiple health challenges. Approximately 94% of the country’s people are not vaccinated against COVID-19, and its case-fatality ratio of 7.69% is among the highest in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Simultaneously, it is confronting outbreaks of other communicable diseases such as dengue fever, malaria and hepatitis E. And a military coup in October 2021 added further uncertainty and complexity. While working with stakeholders to tackle these challenges, the country office in Sudan needed additional assistance to deal with essential administrative tasks towards the end of the biennium, including the closure...
09 August 2022
Managers and staff are being urged to explore modalities of work that give staff opportunities to broaden their experience while helping WHO meet changing business needs. Surge support and short-term developmental assignments offer both immediate and long-term benefits to staff members and the Organization. Surge support is typically associated with emergencies and is used for acute events that require enlarged staff capacity for a duration of some months. Although travel restrictions were in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, surge support remained ongoing. Short-term developmental assignments provide opportunities to partake in a programme and/or...
09 August 2022
The Regional Transformation Team has been reactivated with new members. The team is part of the overall Transformation structure initially established in July 2019, and the Regional Director issued a new circular in March 2022 to reinforce the Transformation structure. WHO Transformation seeks to revamp the Organization’s business models and systems and improve organizational culture and efficiency to ensure that it remains a catalyst for health and is accountable and fit for purpose. The regional Transformation team will work in close collaboration with the global Transformation team from WHO headquarters and...
09 August 2022
We are now in the fourth year of WHO Transformation and remain committed to moving forward. Embracing change in how we perform our duties in the Region is an essential part of our work to build back fairer for health. We still have much to do. The evaluation and audit in 2021 found that Transformation requires additional efforts in our regional and country offices, and that was also a strong theme at the recent retreats of WHO Representatives and Directors. Areas for further development have been identified. While the COVID-19 pandemic obliged...