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World Health Day 2025: ‘Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures’
On World Health Day, marked every year on 7 April, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for global action to ensure access to high-quality health care for women and babies. Though there has been progress in reducing maternal and newborn mortality, the Eastern Mediterranean Region continues to face significant challenges in ensuring the...
Strengthening health collaboration with Qatar
March 2025, Doha, Qatar – WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy concluded a successful official visit to Qatar aimed at strengthening collaboration on key health priorities, including health emergencies, climate change, humanitarian response, health workforce development and substance use. The visit marked a...
Message from Dr Hanan Balkhy Regional Director WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region on the occasion of the World Tuberculosis Day
24 March 2025 Tuberculosis remains a major public health challenge in the Eastern Mediterranean region, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In 2023 alone, the region recorded 936,000 new TB cases and nearly 86,000 deaths. Every 34 seconds, someone falls ill with tuberculosis, and every six minutes, another life is lost. These deaths are...
Statement by Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, at the Health emergencies press briefing
18 March 2025 Colleagues, members of the press, Good afternoon. Thank you for joining us today. Before I begin my briefing, I would like to mention that the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal recently launched a two-part series focused on Gaza. The first issue explores the war’s impacts on health, offering scientific evidence, practical...
Eighty percent of WHO-supported facilities in Afghanistan risk shutdown by June
17 March 2025, Kabul, Afghanistan – The World Health Organization (WHO) in Afghanistan is deeply concerned that funding shortages could force the closure of 80% of WHO-supported essential health care services. Millions, including vulnerable populations such as women, children, the elderly, the displaced and returnees, will be left without access...
On International Women’s Day WHO calls for accelerated action on gender equality
6 March 2025 – “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, celebrated each year on 8 March, resonates deeply with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) commitment to promote gender equality in the health sector across the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Women are the backbone of the...
Cancer surveillance in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: a 10-year IARC-WHO collaboration
5 March 2025, Cairo, Egypt – In 2024, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean celebrated 10 years of collaboration supporting cancer surveillance. The IARC-WHO Regional Office partnership has ensured a decade of progress in the development of...
Obesity Day 2025: addressing the growing burden of obesity
On the occasion of Obesity Day, 4 March 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for urgent action to tackle the growing obesity problem which is now recognized as one of the most significant public health challenges of our time. This year’s theme, Building a healthy future: tackling obesity through prevention and care, serves as a...
World Hearing Day 2025
3 March 2025, Cairo, Egypt – The theme of World Hearing Day 2025, marked annually on 3 March, builds on the previous year’s focus on changing mindsets towards ear and hearing care. This year’s campaign aims to encourage individuals to recognize the importance of ear and hearing health and inspire them to change behaviour to protect their hearing...
WHO Regional Director’s address to the Policy Dialogue to Scale Up the Implementation of the Regional Director’s Flagship Initiative to Strengthen the Public Health Response to Substance Use in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 28 February 2025
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 28 February 2025 Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Partners, and colleagues, As this policy dialogue on strengthening the public health response to substance use draws to a close, I am heartened by the dedication and commitment you have shown over the past three days, as articulated in the consensus statement...
