Heads and representatives of UN agencies gathered in the WHO Regional Office to advance the WHO Flagship Initiative: “Investing in a Resilient Health Workforce.” Photo credit: WHO
2 December 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean hosted a Regional Health Alliance (RHA) hybrid meeting today.
The event brought together regional directors and technical leads from key partners, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Women, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Bank, and representatives from WHO country offices and the Regional Office.
The meeting reaffirmed UN agencies’ shared commitment to strengthening health systems and accelerating progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by advancing the Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean’s flagship initiative on investing in a resilient and sustainable health workforce.
In her opening remarks, Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean reiterated that “Investing in a resilient health workforce It is an inter-state issue for all parties represented here, and today's meeting is an important opportunity to align the efforts of the members of the Regional Health Alliance around a common regional action plan. This enables us to build on ongoing efforts and identify practical opportunities for joint action in which our collective contribution can make the greatest impact.”
The Region faces a projected shortfall of 2.1 million health workers by 2030, accounting for more than 20% of the global deficit and threatening the Region’s ability to deliver essential health services, particularly in countries affected by protracted crises.
Recognizing that investing in the health workforce is an urgent priority, and in response to challenges that include the uneven distribution of health workers, gaps in education and training and weak governance structures, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy launched the flagship initiative on investing in a resilient and sustainable health workforce. It calls for urgent and coordinated action to ensure access to a competent, well-supported and adaptable health workforce.
The meeting sought to strengthen collaboration between RHA members over the implementation of the flagship initiative by building on and enhancing existing synergies.
The initiative outlines 4 key areas for action.
Investing more: mobilizing resources to address chronic underinvestment in health workforce development.
Investing better and smarter: prioritizing high-impact areas such as primary care and essential public health functions.
Investing in sustainability: building a workforce equipped to meet evolving health needs and demographic shifts.
Working together: establishing a Regional Health Workforce Collaborative to share expertise and address common challenges, including workforce mobility.
Participants’ discussions focused on reaching a shared understanding of the initiative and the mechanisms that best support country-level progress, identifying priority areas for joint action and agreeing on the next steps to advance collaborative efforts.
About the Regional Health Alliance
Established in 2019, the RHA serves as a platform for interagency collaboration to address regional health priorities. The RHA is uniquely positioned to support WHO’s flagship initiatives and drive multisectoral action towards a healthier, more equitable region.
Visit www.emro.who.int for updates and resources.
