10 October 2022 – This morning, WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean delegates took part in a Walk the Talk event in the Child’s Park opposite the WHO Regional Office. Led by senior health officials, the event kickstarted the 69th session of the Regional Committee. Starting at 07:30 with a walk through the park, the gentle stroll...

10 October 2022 – Each of the 22 countries and territories in the Region has its own story of determination, diplomacy, creativity, optimism and success in working towards realizing our shared vision of Health for All by All. These stories are highlighted during this year’s Regional Committee. In Afghanistan, where the health needs of the...

6 October 2022, Cairo ‒ After 2 years of being held virtually, the 69th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean will be held in hybrid modality this year from 10 to 13 October 2022. Ministers of health and high-level representatives of the 22 countries of WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region, along with partner...

6 October 2022 – We are just a few days away from the start of the 69th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean. The Regional Committee is WHO’s main governing body at the regional level. The theme this year is “Reaching the Sustainable Development Goals in the post-COVID-19 age: accelerating universal health coverage and...

21 September 2022 – Over the past 3 days during my visit here in Damascus and to Daraa governorate, I have seen firsthand the devastating impact of war, economic instability and sanctions on innocent Syrians whose health even now continues to deteriorate. In Daraa, once a hotspot of intense fighting and where parts of the governorate still remain in...

WHO works with partners to scale up the COVID-19 prevention and response, including expanding testing, enhancing surveillance and diagnostics of COVID-19, and helping provincial hospitals and facilities improve case management and infection control. Credit: WHO Afghanistan 19 September 2022 – With the support of the World Health Organization...

18 September 2022, Khartoum, Sudan — I have just concluded a visit to Sudan, where I spent 3 days travelling through 3 states — Khartoum, Gadarif, and Gezira — meeting with community leaders, health officials at the federal and state levels, health care workers, health partners and other stakeholders working together to improve the health and...

Swat, 13 September 2022 – The floodwaters have passed the Swat valley, leaving an impact deep enough to be felt for a long time. Signs of the damage mark the valley, where homes along the river have been reduced to debris and bridges reduced to piles of rubble, highlighting the insignificance of the structures in the face of the climate's wrath. Even the...

12 September 2022 – Thanks to WHO’s recently opened tuberculosis (TB) centre in north-west Syria’s Al-Bab city, patients will no longer have to make the 90-minute drive to Azaz city, where the nearest TB facility had hitherto been located. A WHO needs assessment had revealed that 20% of TB patients diagnosed in the Azaz centre were from Al-Bab...

09 September 2022, Islamabad, Pakistan – Two shipments carrying much needed emergency medical supplies and equipment arrived in Karachi, Pakistan, today in response to critical shortages in the country, ravaged by the most extensive floods in recent history. The shipments contain 15.6 metric tons of cholera kits, water and multipurpose tents that can...