10 October 2023, Cairo, Egypt – Today, we mark World Mental Health Day 2023, the theme of which is “Mental health is a universal human right”. This year’s campaign calls on governments, politicians, health authorities, civil society and communities to place mental health at the top of health, development and humanitarian agendas. World Mental...

10 October 2023, Cairo, Egypt ‒ A report on WHO’s work in the Eastern Mediterranean Region over the past 5 years was presented on the second day of RC70. It documents the tremendous, tireless work carried out by our countries and territories and concerned stakeholders, in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, to...

10 October 2023 ‒ In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the international community has taken decisive steps to strengthen global health security. Among these efforts, the Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 stands as a pillar of collaboration and reform. IHR amendments: a vital initiative Member States...

9 October 2023, Cairo, Egypt ‒ The 70th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean¬, also known as RC70, was inaugurated this evening in Cairo, Egypt. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, and Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, addressed delegates after the opening...

9 October 2023, Cairo, Egypt – As ministers of health from countries and territories across the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region gather in Cairo, Egypt, for the 70th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean, the Region is facing an unprecedented onslaught of emergencies that are inflicting a profound and alarming impact...

9 October 2023, Cairo, Egypt – The World Health Organization (WHO) congratulates Egypt for its unprecedented progress towards eliminating hepatitis C, becoming the first country to achieve “gold tier” status on the path to elimination of hepatitis C as per WHO criteria. Achieving the gold tier means that Egypt has fulfilled the programmatic...

4 October 2023 – This briefing bridges two crucial events at which decision-makers converge. The first is the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, which I attended last month and where world leaders renewed their commitment, action, and solidarity to fight pandemic threats and to advance universal health coverage. The second is the...

2 October 2023, Tripoli, Libya – A staggering 101 health workers in Libya lost their lives during Storm Daniel or in its immediate aftermath. Some were killed at home, others in the line of duty. Families and coworkers have described their anguish and feelings of helplessness at seeing their relatives, friends and colleagues swept away by the...

1 October 2023, Cairo, Egypt – Today, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, met with His Excellency Mr Oka Hiroshi, Ambassador of Japan to Egypt, to affirm the continued cooperation between WHO and Japan in responding to health crises across the Region. The Eastern Mediterranean Region faces myriad health...

Two weeks after Storm Daniel struck Libya, the scale of the damage is almost indescribable. The floods that followed left in their muddy wake a humanitarian crisis on a massive scale, particularly in Derna. An estimated 30 million cubic metres of water came roaring through the city when 2 dams in the nearby mountains collapsed. The torrent of...