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Egypt is certified malaria-free by WHO
A total of 44 countries and 1 territory have reached the malaria-free milestone 20 October 2024 | Geneva / Cairo - The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Egypt as ‘malaria-free’, marking a significant public health milestone for a country with more than 100 million inhabitants. The achievement follows a nearly 100-year effort by the...
Regional Director’s special event on the Investment Round, Museum of Islamic Art, Doha
Wednesday, 16 October 2024 Thank you for joining us for this special event. Today we stand at a critical juncture. The next six years will determine whether we succeed in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 3 on good health and well-being – in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and globally. The WHO Investment Round aims to...
The Statement of the Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy for the post RC 71 press conference
17 October 2024 Doha, Qatar Your Excellencies, Media colleagues, Distinguished guests, I would like to welcome you to this press conference. We have just concluded the 71st session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean, which was held from 14 to 17 October 2024, and hosted by the State of Qatar. Before I start, I would like to...
RC71 concludes in Doha
17 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – The Seventy-first session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean (RC71), held under the theme Health Beyond Borders, concluded today in Qatar. Following 4 days of intense discussions and the exchange of views and experiences between ministers of health and representatives of Member States, partner...
WHO secures an additional US$ 18 million in partner funding
17 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – WHO has secured an additional US$ 18 million in funding commitments from key partners, to complement US$ 18 million already in the pipeline. The pledges, by ATscale – Global Partnership for Assistive Technology and the Hamdard Foundation, and the pledge by the Islamic Development Bank earmarking the Health Impact...
Addressing the increasing burden of trauma in humanitarian settings
16 October 2024, Cairo, Egypt – Each year nearly 5 million deaths occur because of trauma and a further 45 million sustain life changing injuries. This exceeds deaths caused by the combined effects of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV. In 2023, in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 8 Member States each recorded over 1000 conflict-related deaths (range...
Mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies
16 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – Mental health is crucial for individuals, communities and nations to achieve their full potential. The Eastern Mediterranean Region is home to 40% of the world’s population in need of humanitarian assistance and hosts 55% of the world’s refugees. Over the past 7 decades, many of the Region’s countries and...
Strengthening health information systems: a new regional strategy
16 October 2024, Cairo, Egypt – Efficient health information systems (HISs) improve health outcomes and the management of health services by facilitating better-informed policies and planning. In many countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, however, health data are often incomplete, fragmented or of inadequate quality, hindering the...
Side event: innovative approaches for preventing and controlling dengue and other mosquito-borne disease outbreaks
15 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – The incidence of vector-borne diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region has increased significantly in the past decade. Factors include climate change, expanding and unplanned urbanization, international travel and population movement, weakened health systems in countries facing emergencies and other crises,...
Updates on the work of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body
15 October 2024 – In December 2021, the World Health Assembly established the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), tasked with negotiating and drafting a convention, agreement or other international instrument to strengthen global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response efforts. The INB's mission is firmly grounded in the principles of...
