WHO and Ministry of Health and Population representatives address participants during the biosafety excellence workshop. Photo credit: WHO/WHO Egypt
26 November 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Egypt, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Population and with support from the Pandemic Fund, organized a 4-day biosafety excellence workshop. More than 70 biosafety officers from public health laboratories (PHLs) across 26 governorates participated.
The workshop builds on WHO’s October 2023 initiative to enhance biosafety and biosecurity measures. The initiative began with 2 workshops – a training of trainers on biosafety and biosecurity measures, followed by a specialized workshop for laboratory leaders to foster commitment to biosafety and biosecurity.
Display celebrating the first Egyptian biosafety hero and bio-risk management workshop. Photo credit: WHO/WHO Egypt
WHO and Ministry of Health and Population representatives in discussion during a follow-up visit. Photo credit: WHO/WHO EgyptIn July 2024, the first Egyptian biosafety hero celebration and bio-risk management workshop recognized individuals and teams from 27 governorates for their outstanding commitment and innovation in promoting biosafety and biosecurity and educated stakeholders, raising awareness and promoting best practices in bio-risk management.
In September 2024, advanced training was conducted for biosafety officers at points of entry and in remote governorates, including North and South Sinai, Marsa Matrouh, Red Sea, Minya, Assiut, Suhag, Qena, New Valley and Luxor.
Joint follow-up visits to PHLs in different governorates were conducted to assess initiative outcomes.
Following the basic and advanced biosafety workshops, raising the programme to excellence level by introducing comprehensive occupational health biosafety training was a logical next step.
The initiative reflects the commitment of WHO Egypt and the Ministry of Health and Population to strengthening laboratory capacity as a critical component of the national health system.
