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Saudi FDA and OIC organize workshop on strengthening regulatory systems in collaboration with WHO
1 October 2025, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia--The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), through its educational arm, the SFDA Academy, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), organized a virtual workshop in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). The initiative was aligned with the “Riyadh Declaration” issued during the 3rd Meeting...
Turning Resolutions into Results: Accelerating Action on Noncommunicable Diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
30 September 2025, Cairo, Egypt– The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean is convening a high-level virtual side event tomorrow to accelerate progress on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) across the Region. Titled “Turning resolutions into results: leveraging the 4th UN High- Level Meeting to Accelerate Regional Progress on NCDs”, the...
From burden to action: Tunisia steps up the fight against noncommunicable diseases
30 September 2025, Tunis, Tunisia – Tunisia faces one of the highest burdens of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Nearly 86% of deaths are linked to conditions such as cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and cancer. Cardiovascular diseases alone are responsible for more than 30% of all deaths....
Opening remarks by Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean at the 6TH Global Mental Health Summit, Doha 2025 Thematic workshop on Strengthening the Public Health Response to Substance Use
30 September 2025 Distinguished colleagues, partners, and friends, Thank you for joining us today at this important workshop. For the first time, the Global Mental Health Summit is dedicating a workshop to substance use disorders—recognizing them as a major public health challenge with far-reaching implications for health, development, and human...
Integrating antimicrobial stewardship and infection control in primary health care facilities
29 September 2025 – Ahead of the Seventy-second Session of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Committee (RC72), Member States and partners shared their experiences of addressing antimicrobial resistance during a pre-RC72 Virtual Week session. Discussions focused on strategies to implement integrated antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and...
WHO Regional Director Concludes Four-Day Visit to Iraq, Strengthening Partnerships for Health and Resilience
Baghdad/Erbil, 20 September 2025 – The Regional Director for the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region, Dr Hanan Balkhy, concluded a five-day official visit to Iraq, where she met with leaders, health officials and communities in Baghdad, Basra and Erbil to reaffirm WHO’s commitment to advancing health for all people in...
Building resilient communities for better health and well-being
29 September 2025 – In October 2021, the 68th session of the WHO Regional Committee endorsed a resolution on “Building Resilient Communities for Better Health and Well-being in the Eastern Mediterranean Region”. The resolution lays out a roadmap for taking necessary action and establish governance space and platforms for engaging communities and...
Equipping hospital staff in Lebanon with the skills to cope with growing mental health needs
25 September 2025 – Overlapping crises, compounded by the escalation of hostilities in 2023 and the onset of war in 2024, have pushed Lebanon’s health care system to its limits. To address the growing psychosocial needs of patients and the emotional toll on health care workers, a series of training workshops on mental health and psychosocial...
Protecting lives, promoting well-being: Jordan’s progress on NCDs and mental health
25 September 2025 – In Jordan, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for nearly 78% of all deaths. Cardiovascular diseases (29%) and cancer (26%) top the list, while diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases contribute to 5% and 2% of deaths. Almost half of these NCD-related deaths occur before the age of 70. The situation is being driven by...
Noncommunicable diseases in Morocco: a growing challenge
Hypertension, diabetes, cancer... these are silent killers. In Morocco, the response is taking shape: innovative policies, awareness campaigns and expanded access to care. 24 September 2025 – Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are one of the most pressing public health challenges in Morocco. They account for nearly 85% of all deaths, including 24%...
