On November 17, 2023, the world will mark three years of the global collaboration with survivors, leaders, and advocates towards the elimination of cervical cancer. This provides an opportunity to celebrate the global commitment and review progress on the pathway to elimination, aiming for a threshold of fewer than 4 women per 100 000...

15 November 2023 – Over the last 50 years, health systems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region have been transformed, leading to improved health outcomes. Among other factors, the ability to prevent and treat infection successfully and cost-effectively has made an immense contribution to this progress. Child deaths have more than halved-from an...

14 November 2023, Cairo, Egypt – World Diabetes Day is being marked across the globe today. As well as raise awareness of diabetes as a global public health issue, the event aims to highlight what must be done, collectively and individually, to enable access to better prevention, diagnosis and management of the condition. World Diabetes Day this year...

25 Oct 2023, Field visit to the very well-equipped central sterile services department (CSSD) at Zarqa Hospital, Jordan. The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region is at a critical juncture to capitalize on the momentum from the COVID-19 response. Turning temporarily scaled-up capacity in countries and territories into permanent capacities, agendas and...

Statement by Ms. Laila Baker, UNFPA Arab States Regional Director; Ms. Adele Khodr, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa; Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean More than half of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip are closed. Those still functioning are under massive strain and can only...

Many of the wounded have been cared for in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza since early October 2023. Photo from 15 October 2023. Credit: WHO 12 November 2023 — WHO has lost communication with its contacts in Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza. As horrifying reports of the hospital facing repeated attacks continue to emerge, we assume our contacts...

8 November 2023 – As deaths and injuries in Gaza continue to rise due to intensified hostilities, intense overcrowding and disrupted health, water, and sanitation systems pose an added danger: the rapid spread of infectious diseases. Some worrying trends are already emerging.  Lack of fuel has led to the shutting down of desalination plants,...

4 November 2023 — WHO condemns the attacks on 3 November near Al-Shifa Hospital, Al-Quds Hospital, and the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza City and North Gaza governorates. According to reports, at Al-Shifa Hospital, ambulances were evacuating critically injured and sick patients to hospitals in the south of the Gaza Strip when there was an attack at...

01 November 2023, Beirut, Lebanon – As hostilities escalate on the border between Lebanon and Israel, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari has concluded a visit to Beirut, where he met with the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health, UN partners, and WHO staff to reinforce health system preparedness for a...

1 November 2023 – The Doha Statement on Healthy Cities was endorsed today, concluding the Eastern Mediterranean Healthy Cities Conference2023 jointly organized by WHO and Ministry of Public Health of Qatar. The Doha Declaration serves as a call for action to advance towards to sustainable urban well-being. The 2-day event brought together experts and...