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Remarks by Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director at the Certification of Healthy Governorates in Bahrain
10 December 2025 His Excellency General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior His Excellency Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Health Her Excellency Dr Jalila bint Al-Sayed Jawad Hassan, Minister of Health His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al...
Artificial intelligence for health emergencies: WHO advances public health intelligence and surveillance through innovation
10 December 2025, Cairo, Egypt – Last week in Amman, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Health Emergencies Programme (WHE) convened the Region’s first workshop to launch the All-Hazards Information Management (AIM) Toolkit and build artificial intelligence (AI) literacy for emergency information management. Led by WHO Regional Office for...
Human Rights Day 2025: Our Everyday Essentials
Resilience and recovery: 100 days after the Herat earthquakes. Photo credit: WHO/Zakarya Safari 10 December 2025, Cairo, Egypt – On 10 December every year, the world observes Human Rights Day, commemorating the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. This landmark document enshrines...
Regional progress accelerates in hepatitis control and elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV and syphilis
Third meeting of the Regional Validation Committee (RVC) for hepatitis, HIV and syphilis, Cairo, 12-13 November 2025 8 December 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean convened the third meeting of the Regional Validation Committee (RVC) for hepatitis, HIV and syphilis. The meeting,...
World Disability Day 2025: WHO Lebanon works to advance inclusive health
World Disability Day 2025: WHO Lebanon works to advance inclusive health 3 December 2025, Beirut, Lebanon – International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), celebrated every year on 3 December, provides a platform to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities at every level of society, and an opportunity to assess – and...
Statement by Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director at the GPEI Presser at Abu Dhabi Finance Week
04 December 2025 The Eastern Mediterranean Region stands at a decisive moment in the effort to eradicate polio. After the resurgence of 2023 and its peak in 2024, wild poliovirus transmission is now declining in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but progress is uneven. A few high-risk zones continue to sustain pockets of circulation that threaten gains...
Regional Health Alliance meeting charts a path towards equitable access to medical products across the Region
Dr Hanan Balkhy addressing participants in the Regional Health Alliance’s meeting to accelerate equitable access to medical products across the Region. Photo credit: WHO/Mahmoud Essa 3 December 2025, Cairo, Egypt – Today, the Regional Health Alliance (RHA) concluded its meeting on strengthening regulatory systems, enhancing local production and...
The Regional Health Alliance discusses ways to strengthen health workforce resilience
Heads and representatives of UN agencies gathered in the WHO Regional Office to advance the WHO Flagship Initiative: “Investing in a Resilient Health Workforce.” Photo credit: WHO 2 December 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean hosted a Regional Health Alliance (RHA) hybrid meeting...
Opening Remarks by Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director at the Regional Health Alliance meeting on Access to Medicines
03 December 2025 Distinguished colleagues and partners, Good morning, and thank you for joining this important meeting of the Regional Health Alliance. I am very pleased to welcome the Regional Directors of UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNIDO, UNODC, and the World Bank. Your presence reflects our shared commitment to improving access to quality medical products...
International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2025: fostering disability-inclusive societies
WHO distributes assistive technology tools to older people and people living with disabilities in cooperation with local NGO, Islamic Republic of Iran. Photo credit: WHO 2 December 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) promotes the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities and raises...
