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WHO Regional Director's statement for virtual press briefing, 8 December
8 December 2020 – As winter starts across the Region, the pandemic continues to take a worrying course. A few countries have made progress in controlling the outbreak, while others are still seeing unprecedented increases in the number of cases, and sometimes even the number of deaths. Following a sharp increase in the number of cases over the...
Islamic Advisory Group reiterates commitment to polio eradication amid COVID-19 pandemic
7 December 2020, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ‒ The Islamic Advisory Group for Polio Eradication (IAG) in its seventh annual meeting acknowledged the unprecedented challenges to polio eradication posed by the disruptions to health care delivery, including to routine immunization and polio vaccination campaigns, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The...
WHO Regional Director's statement for virtual press briefing, 19 November
19 November 2020 – I would like to extend a warm welcome to our guests today: H.E. Ms Faeqa Bint Saeed Al-Saleh, Minister of Health of Bahrain, H.E. Dr Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to Prime Minister for National Health Services Regulations and Coordination, Pakistan, and Dr Faycal Ben Salah, Director General of Health, on behalf of H.E. Dr...
Statement by WHO Director of Programme Management on COVID-19 pandemic
29 October 2020 – Statement for the WHO media briefing by Dr Rana Hajjeh, Director, Programme Management, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Dear colleagues, The COVID-19 pandemic in the Eastern Mediterranean Region has reached an alarming juncture. The highest weekly number of cases since the beginning of the pandemic was reported...
Statement of the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean on the closing of the 67th session of the Regional Committee
13 October 2020 - I am pleased at the outset to welcome Her Excellency Dr. Hala Zayed, Minister of Health and Population of Egypt, and to congratulate Her Excellency on her election as Chair of the 67th session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean. The 67th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean has...
COVID-19 dominates discussion of the 67th WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean
Cairo 12 October 2020 ‒ The annual meeting of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean began on Monday, 12 October 2020 with a strong focus on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Ministers and representatives from across the Region discussed the impact of the pandemic on health systems and society more generally, and the conference...
Virtual 67th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean
11 October 2020, Cairo ‒ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 67th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean will be held virtually for the first time ever. Health ministers and high-level representatives of the 22 countries of WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region, along with partner organizations and civil society, will...
UN agencies launch “Learning is Back”, a song on return to learning in the Middle East and North Africa
Ensuring continuity of learning for all children in-person or remotely is a priority as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the region and disrupting the education process. To watch the music video, download the song and access multimedia products, click here AMMAN, 8 October 2020 - UN Agencies* in the region unveiled today “Rej’et El Sineh” [‘Learning...
WHO Regional Director's press briefing statement on vaccine development and COVAX Facility for COVID-19
30 September 2020 – COVID-19 is now a part of our daily lives. It is affecting the way we work, learn, communicate and manage our relationships. While people are eager to return to their normal lives, the reality is that the situation is not getting any better. New cases globally and in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are increasing. More than...
Health worker safety: a priority for patient safety
15 September 2020, Cairo ‒ World Patient Safety Day is celebrated each year on 17 September and the theme of this year’s day is “Health worker safety: a priority for patient safety”. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted huge global challenges and has only increased the daily risks faced by health workers in delivering essential health care...
