14 October 2024, Doha, Qatar – The 71st session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean (RC71) opened this morning in Doha, Qatar. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who joined virtually, and WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy inaugurated the event alongside H.E. the Minister of Public Health of Qatar Dr Hanan Al-Kuwari and H.E. the Minister of Health and Human Services of Somalia Dr Ali Haji Abubakar, who chaired the previous Regional Committee session.
High-level officials from the 22 countries and territories of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region attend the Regional Committee alongside representatives from international, regional and national organizations. This year’s session, Dr Balkhy’s first as Regional Director, is being held under the banner Health Beyond Borders.
During the first session, Dr Hanan Al-Kuwari was elected Chair of RC71, and the ministers of health of Djibouti and the Islamic Republic of Iran were elected Vice Chairs.
In her opening remarks, Dr Al-Kuwari said: “In several countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, conflicts, epidemics and political unrest have weakened health services, requiring responsibility, solidarity and equity to improve the lives of all people. We have learned from pandemics and epidemics the importance of solidarity, and that protecting health requires global efforts that transcend national borders.
“The State of Qatar firmly believes that investing in global health and in the World Health Organization is an investment in stability and security.”
Dr Abubakar highlighted the fruitful deliberations of RC70 in his opening remarks. “Our journey towards a healthier, more resilient Region is not just a professional duty but a personal commitment for each of us as ministers of health. We must continue to innovate, invest in health care infrastructure and ensure that everyone, no matter their location or circumstance, has access to quality health care’” he said.
“This is not just a goal. It is our solemn promise.”
Condemning the “killing of civilians and attacks on health care in Gaza” as “a blatant violation of international law”, Dr Abubakar called on the international community to work for an unconditional ceasefire.
Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy highlighted the many crises and challenges facing the Region, and noted that the Committee offered a crucial opportunity to discuss them. “We need to talk frankly about the problems that face us. And we will,” she commented.
“At the same time, we simply cannot afford to get downhearted,” continued Dr Balkhy. “We have a packed agenda ahead of us, and I am excited to be working with you all to move it forward.”
In his address, Director-General Dr Tedros noted that the Regional Committee was being held a very difficult time for the Region, with conflict raging in the occupied Palestinian territory, Sudan, Yemen, and now in Lebanon.
“The eruption of conflict in Lebanon has put the health of millions more people at risk. The number of internally displaced people is growing rapidly, and so is the threat of disease outbreaks, compounded by overcrowding in shelters and the closure of hospitals.”
The Director General concluded with three requests to Member States. “First, I urge all Member States to engage actively in negotiations for the Pandemic Agreement, and if possible, to complete it by the end of this year. Second, I urge all Member States to implement the Fourteenth General Programme of Work and the Regional Strategic Operational Plan. And third, I urge all Member States and partners to participate in the WHO Investment Round.”
During the opening session, keynote speaker Professor Izzieldin Abuelaish of the University of Toronto described the tragic deaths of family members, including his daughters and nieces, in Gaza in 2009.
Despite this harrowing experience, he underlined the power of hope in the face of atrocity and expressed his firmly held belief that safeguarding the dignity, safety and well-being of human beings in conflicts exceeds all other considerations.
“I fully believe that we have the knowledge, the talent and the strength, but we need the good will to make the world a better place. We need to share our humanity and realize that we all bleed the same colour. Building close ties between people is the most effective way of preventing conflict in the long term.”
On the eve of the session opening, Regional Committee delegates, led by ministers of health, HE Dr Al-Kuwari and the Regional Director, took part in a Walk the Talk event in Doha’s Oxygen Park. WHO’s Walk the Talk is a global health initiative promoting physical activity, and this year’s event highlighted the Sport for Health initiative led by Qatar in collaboration with WHO and the International Federation of Football Associations.
Following the opening ceremony, Dr Balkhy and senior colleagues presented WHO’s strategic plans including a Regional Strategic Operational Plan to guide its work in the Region for the next four years and three flagship initiatives to accelerate progress in three key areas: expanding equitable access to essential medicines, vaccines and medical products, investing in a more resilient health workforce and scaling up public health action on substance use.
RC71 will continue until 17 October 2024.
For more information, please contact:
Mona Yassin, Communications Officer,
WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean
Mobile: +20 10 06 01 92 84
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