19 June 2025, Cairo, Egypt – Substance use across the Eastern Mediterranean Region is growing among vulnerable groups, including migrants and displaced persons. This silent crisis, taking place in the shadow of conflict, displacement, marginalization and economic hardship, is compounded by the loss of social support networks. In 2022, 6.7% of...

06 June 2025 Q: Is there an increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean Region currently? COVID-19 cases are increasing all over the world, including in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. The virus will continue to mutate and evolve, and this results in new variants that may cause surging trends. The current increases are...

7 June 2025, Cairo, Egypt – On World Food Safety Day 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) is highlighting the role of scientific research and innovation in ensuring food safety. Scientists contribute to understanding the risks to human health from known, emerging and anticipated food contaminants in many ways. They conduct rigorous research to...

5 June 2025, Cairo, Egypt – World Environment Day 2025 will be observed on 5 June. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), this year's campaign focuses on tackling plastic pollution, urging countries, organizations, and individuals to act together to protect the planet. While plastics have benefits, including energy savings and...

4 June 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The World Health Organization’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean launched a new strategy to reduce the burden of cholera across the Region by 2028. The strategy sets out a blueprint for a scaled-up multisectoral approach to tackle the root causes of cholera spread and prevent future outbreaks, aiming to...

4 June 2025, Cairo, Egypt –World Blood Donor Day (WBDD), observed each year on 14 June, serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their lifesaving gifts of blood.  A blood service that gives patients access to safe blood and blood products in sufficient quantity is a key...

2 June 2025 Fellow Regional Directors, Distinguished Colleagues, Partners, It is my great honour to join you today for the signing of the Regional QPT Joint Statement. The establishment of a Regional Quadripartite One Health Coordination Mechanism is a major step forward for the health and resilience of our Region. The health of people, animals, and...

03 June 2025 - This week marks one year since dozens of personnel from the United Nations, non-governmental and civil society organisations, and diplomatic missions were arbitrarily detained by the Houthi de facto authorities in northern Yemen. Others have been detained since as far back as 2021. Today, we reiterate our urgent demand for their...

02 June 2025 Your Excellency, Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population of Egypt, Distinguished officials, Representatives of the Egyptian Vaccine Manufacturers Alliance, Colleagues and Partners, On behalf of the World Health Organization, I extend my warmest congratulations to Egypt for becoming the first country in the Eastern...

01 June 2025 Distinguished Regional Directors, Colleagues, and partners, Substance use is one of the most urgent, yet often neglected, public health challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean Region today. It threatens not only individual health but the security, safety, and economic well-being of our societies. The human and economic toll is...