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Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 2025
Distribution of gifts to cancer patients on International Childhood Cancer Day 2025. Photo: WHO 1 September 2025 – Globally, 400 000 children are diagnosed with cancer annually, which means 3 children are diagnosed with cancer every 4 minutes. Of these cases, 90% occur in low- and middle-income countries, where only a fifth of diagnosed children...
Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Tunisia advance cross-border collaboration for migrant health
Government representatives call for standardized public health procedures at the close of a 3-day simulation exercise. 25 August 2025, Cairo, Egypt – Government representatives from Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Tunisia — major countries on migratory routes in North Africa — convened in Cairo from 18–20 August for a 3-day table-top simulation exercise...
Famine confirmed for first time in Gaza
FAO, UNICEF, WFP and WHO reiterate call for immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to curb deaths from hunger and malnutrition 22/08/2025- ROME/GENEVA/NEW YORK – More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to a new Integrated Food Security Phase...
Statement by WHO Regional Director Hanan Balkhy on the World Humanitarian Day
19 August 2025 World Humanitarian Day (WHD), established after the 2003 Canal Hotel bombing in Iraq, honours the courage of humanitarian workers who risk their lives to save others. This year, in the region where WHD began, the Eastern Mediterranean faces some of its darkest humanitarian crises. Humanitarian needs have never been greater, yet...
Remarks by Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean on the 24th intercountry meeting of poliovirus laboratory directors in EMR Amman, Jordan
18 August 2025 Distinguished colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 24th intercountry meeting of poliovirus laboratory directors in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Your work is critical to the Region’s progress towards polio eradication. The precision, dedication, and collaboration that define this laboratory network...
WHO Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy’s visit to Bahrain showcased health progress and country leadership in regional cooperation
11 August 2025, Manama, Bahrain – World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy has completed her first official visit – from 4 to 6 August 2025 – to the Kingdom of Bahrain. The visit reaffirmed the longstanding strategic partnership between WHO and the Government of Bahrain, highlighted Bahrain’s progress...
Remarks by Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean on the certification of Healthy Governorates in Bahrain
06 August 2025 His Excellency Lieutenant General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior Her Excellency Dr Jalila bint El-Sayed Jawad Hassan, Minister of Health The Honourable Shaikh Khalid bin Humood bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Governor of the Capital Governorate The Honourable Hassan Abdullah Mohammed Al Madani, Governor of the...
Remarks by Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean on the Roundtable on Health Workers’ Education and Training on Antimicrobial Resistance, Manama, Bahrain
05 August 2025 Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, It is a pleasure to join you today for this timely roundtable on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and health workforce education. I thank Dr Saad Alfuhaid, President of the Arabian Gulf University, for bringing us together, and I warmly acknowledge the leadership of Dr Jameela Alsalman, Chair of...
WHO statement on IPC alert: Worst-case scenario for famine unfolding in Gaza
31 July 2025, Jerusalem, Cairo: The worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip, according to the alert published this week by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). People are foregoing food for days. Others are dying as their undernourished, weakened bodies succumb to disease or organ failure. The...
World Breastfeeding Week 2025
Invest in breastfeeding, invest in the future 1 August 2025 – Since 1992, World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) has been celebrated Annually, in the first week of August. In 2018, a World Health Assembly resolution endorsed WBW as an important breastfeeding promotion strategy. Championed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations...
