Doha, 14 Oct. 2024 (QNA)

Three-day 71st session of the World Health Organizations (WHO) Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean hosted by State of Qatar took off this evening on Monday at the Hotel Ritz Carlton Doha.

Theme of the conference is 'Health Beyond Borders: Action, Access, Equity in the Eastern Mediterranean Region'. Present on the occasion were Minister of Public Health of Qatar, Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari; Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Director, WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, Dr. Hanan Hassan Balkhy;  several ministers and representatives from Member States in the region; and medical experts from various regions.

In her speech at the opening ceremony, HE Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, stated that the theme of this session 'is of exceptional relevance to our region, where conflicts, natural disasters, epidemics, and political unrest have deteriorated healthcare services in several countries'.

She stressed that 'this situation calls for responsibility, solidarity, and fairness to improve the lives of all people'. She expressed her hope and confidence that the session's meetings would deliver impactful results that will significantly improve the health and well-being of the population in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and beyond.

She affirmed Qatar's commitment to strengthening fruitful partnerships with international organizations, adding, 'Our collaboration with the WHO is an inspiring model for us. Qatar was one of the first countries in the world to respond to the WHOs call for core voluntary contribution in 2021 in order to support the response to the COVID pandemic and other emergencies.

She mentioned that the Sport for Health partnership between Qatar, WHO, and FIFA signed in 2021 created and implemented a model for integrating health and well-being into sports events. She added that, ' We were pleased with the adoption at the 77th World Health Assembly of a resolution on strengthening health and well-being through sporting events inspired by this partnership. Tomorrow, Insha Allah, we will launch the joint report between Qatar and the WHO on sports and health

During the opening ceremony, winners of the State of Kuwait Award for Combating Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region were honoured. In the field of cancer, Dr. Asem Hamza Mansour from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, received the award, and in the field of cardiovascular diseases, Dr. Davood Khalili from the Islamic Republic of Iran received the award.

The Regional Committee is the decision-making body of the WHO in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, consisting of representatives from each Member State. Its primary functions include formulating regional policies and overseeing the WHO's activities throughout the region.

The Regional Committee brings together health policymakers, partners, donors and other high-level stakeholders to discuss and review public health issues of shared concern to Member States in the Region, leading to the Regional Vision of 'All for Health, Health for All'.