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Speech by Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director on the occasion marking Egypt achieving regional target of Hepatitis B control
02 June 2025 Your Excellency, Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population of Egypt, Distinguished officials, Representatives of the Egyptian Vaccine Manufacturers Alliance, Colleagues and Partners, On behalf of the World Health Organization, I extend my warmest congratulations to Egypt for becoming the first country in the Eastern...
Opening remarks by Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean at the Regional Health Alliance meeting on Strengthening public health action on substance use
01 June 2025 Distinguished Regional Directors, Colleagues, and partners, Substance use is one of the most urgent, yet often neglected, public health challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean Region today. It threatens not only individual health but the security, safety, and economic well-being of our societies. The human and economic toll is...
Message from Dr Hanan Balkhy WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day
31 May 2025 Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death globally, and a major health challenge in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. An estimated 37 million children aged 13-15 years worldwide use tobacco. Our Region has the highest youth smoking rates in the world. An alarming 15 per cent of boys in our Region use tobacco, and the number...
World No Tobacco Day 2025: unmasking the appeal of tobacco products
29 May 2025, Cairo, Egypt -- On 31 May the world will mark World No Tobacco Day 2025 under the banner “Bright Products. Dark Intentions”. This year's theme sheds light on the tobacco industry's tactics to lure women and young people into addiction through flavored and colorful products. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death...
Statement by Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, at the ACANU press briefing
26 May 2025 Thank you all for being here today. It is always a pleasure to connect with ACANU—you know the issues and care deeply about the UN. Let me begin with the World Health Assembly—particularly the Pandemic Accord—before turning to Gaza and Sudan. WHA78 has delivered real breakthroughs for global health, despite a fraught international...
Statement For Regional Director, WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region on Emergencies
22 May 2025 WHA78, Geneva, 19-27 May 2025Agenda item: 17.1Document: A78/13 Chair, Your Excellencies, Director-General, The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region shoulders one-third of the world’s humanitarian burden, and 15 per cent of our population requires humanitarian assistance. The unfolding crises in Gaza and Sudan—alongside protracted...
World Health Assembly adopts historic Pandemic Agreement to make the world more equitable and safer from future pandemics
20 May 2025 Agreement’s adoption follows three years of intensive negotiation launched due to gaps and inequities identified in national and global COVID-19 response. Agreement boosts global collaboration to ensure stronger, more equitable response to future pandemics. Next steps include negotiations on Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing...
Statement For Regional Director, WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region on Occupied Palestinian territory
21 May 2025 WHA78, Geneva, 19-27 May 2025Agenda item: 20Document: A78/16 Chair, Your Excellencies, Director-General As outlined in the Director-General’s report, health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory are at crisis levels. In the West Bank, access to healthcare is significantly hindered by movement restrictions, violence, and...
WHO Foundation Launches First GCC Partnership with Tawuniya to Drive Health Innovation in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – 19 May 2025 – The WHO Foundation has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tawuniya, Saudi Arabia’s largest insurance provider, marking its first-ever corporate partnership in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. This milestone agreement establishes a framework for advancing regional health...
Statement For Regional Director, WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region on Poliomyelitis
19 May 2025 WHA78, Geneva, 19-27 May 2025Agenda item: 17.5Document: A78/4 Chair, Your Excellencies, Director-General, When we committed to eradicate polio in 1988, the world was different. Today, conflict, climate change, and economic strain make our mission harder. Yet, our goal is within reach. Since 1988, we have reduced polio cases by 99.9...
