Honourable Minister Dr Ali Haji Abubakar,

Honourable Minister Dr Hanan Mohamed Al-Kuwari,

Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy,

Honourable Ministers and heads of delegation,

Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,

Good morning, greetings from Berlin, and I apologise that I cannot be with you in person.

I thank Qatar for hosting this year’s Regional Committee Meeting, which comes at a very difficult time for the region, with conflict in the occupied Palestinian territory, Sudan, Yemen, and now in Lebanon.

A month ago I was in Sudan with Dr Balkhy, where we saw for ourselves the effects of the conflict that has caused such destruction, death, disease and the displacement of more than 13 million people – one quarter of Sudan’s population.

We visited a nutrition stabilization centre and in IDP camp, where we were brought face-to-face with the people who are paying the price for this conflict.

The following week I visited Chad, where I met some of the 680 thousand Sudanese refugees who have left their country, seeking security and food.

And of course, Sudan’s civil war is just one conflict in this troubled region.

As the war in the occupied Palestinian territory enters its second year, the people of Gaza and the West Bank face mounting threats to their physical and mental health.

In the past year, WHO and our partners have supported Gaza’s health system and health workers as best we can, under extremely difficult and dangerous conditions.

We’ve delivered almost 2500 metric tonnes of supplies;

We’ve coordinated Emergency Medical Teams from 24 partner organizations, involving more than 1000 personnel, who have performed thousands of surgeries, supported thousands of women through childbirth, and much more.

And together with partners, today we are starting the second round of our polio vaccination campaign, targeting almost 600 thousand children.

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.

Evacuation orders are having a devastating effect on health facilities, health workers and health services.

WHO is also deeply concerned at the increasing number of attacks on health care.

We call for health care to be actively protected and not attacked, in line with International Humanitarian Law – in Lebanon, as well as in the occupied Palestinian territory, Sudan and Yemen.

In each of these places, WHO, our partners and the health workers we support are dealing with more and more trauma patients.

So I welcome the technical paper you will consider this week on addressing the increasing burden of trauma in humanitarian settings.

And of course, it’s not just physical health that is affected by emergencies; the mental health impacts are just as real and can be much longer lasting.

So I also welcome the Regional action plan for mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies.

But what the people of the occupied Palestinian territory, Lebanon, Sudan and Yemen need more than trauma care, more than mental health and psychosocial support, and more than aid is a ceasefire, a political solution, and peace.

The best medicine is peace.

In addition to these conflicts, in the past year the region has also responded to earthquakes, floods, drought, outbreaks and more.

And although the specific threat of COVID-19 has eased, the threat of future pandemics has not.

As you know, Member States made significant steps towards strengthening health emergency preparedness, prevention and response at this year’s World Health Assembly.

The adoption of a set of amendments to the International Health Regulations, and the agreement to conclude negotiations of the WHO Pandemic Agreement before next year’s Assembly, or sooner, are major achievements.

Although Member States have made progress on the Pandemic Agreement, some of the most crucial issues remain unresolved.

I urge all Member States to continue listening to each other – within the region and beyond – to continue to seek common ground, and to conclude a strong agreement by the end of this year if possible. It is in your shared interest to do so.

Despite the many challenges you face, you also have many achievements of which to be proud, which are outlined in Dr Balkhy’s first annual report.

Egypt became the first country to achieve gold tier status on the path to elimination of hepatitis C, and Pakistan, the country with the world’s highest hepatitis C burden, announced its elimination plan;

Iraq eliminated trachoma as a public health problem;

And just a few weeks ago, Jordan became the first country validated for the elimination of leprosy.

Bahrain and Kuwait and Qatar introduced vaccines against human papillomavirus, joining the global movement to eliminate cervical cancer;

Saudi Arabia’s regulatory system reached maturity level 4;

Djibouti and Yemen developed electronic medical records;

Tunisia increased graphic health warnings to cover 70% of tobacco packaging, and Oman decided to introduce plain packaging.

Saudi Arabia became one of the first countries validated for the elimination of trans fat;

And Kuwait introduced guidelines on salt content in processed foods.

And these are just a few highlights.

I’m proud of the way the regional and country offices are supporting member states in so many areas to progress towards universal health coverage, prepare for and respond to health emergencies, and foster healthier populations

Many of these are on your agenda this week, from polio to blood safety, UHC, digital health, One Health, tobacco and more.

In particular, I welcome the technical paper on antimicrobial resistance, one of the most pressing health challenges of our time.

As you know, just 10 days ago, countries approved the political declaration on antimicrobial resistance at the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting.

The declaration includes concrete commitments and targets, and I urge all Member States to take immediate action on those commitments.

Likewise, I welcome the regional strategy for digitalization of health information systems, which is essential for improving health data, health services and health outcomes.

Excellencies,

Responding to the many other health threats you face in the region requires a clear vision, a tailored strategy and careful planning.

So I welcome the Regional Director’s Strategic Operational Plan, with its six priorities and three flagships.

I’m very encouraged by the concrete, measurable targets in each of the flagships, which address pressing health concerns in the region:

For strengthening procurement, local production, and regulatory capacity for medical products;

For increasing health workforce investments and reducing projected shortages and increasing health education admissions;

And for expanding access to services for substance use, supported by updated national plans and legislation.

The Strategic Operational Plan is well aligned with the 14th General Programme of Work, which Member States adopted at this year’s World Health Assembly.

GPW14 incorporates lessons from the past, the realities of the present, and our aspirations for the future.

It’s based on a clear mission to promote, provide and protect health and well-being for all people, in all countries, and to save 40 million lives over the next four years.

To support the implementation of GPW14, we have launched the first WHO Investment Round, which aims to mobilize the sustainable and predictable resources we need to do our work.

We look forward to your participation at tomorrow’s Investment Round event.

Every Member State can contribute something, within its means.

And every contribution makes a difference, whatever the amount.

At the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brazil in November, His Excellency President Lula da Silva will announce the results of the Investment Round.

Of course, we well understand that Member States expect a strong return on investment from the resources they entrust to WHO – and so they should.

We are committed to continuing the journey of transformation we began more than seven years ago, to make WHO more effective, efficient, transparent, accountable and results-oriented.

One of our key priorities now is to strengthen our country offices to provide more predictable, more stable and more tailored support to Member States.

Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,

I leave you with three requests:

First, I urge all Member States to engage actively in negotiations for the Pandemic Agreement, and to complete it by the end of this year, if possible.

Second, I urge all Member States to implement the 14th 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.

Thank you all once again for your commitment to promoting, providing and protecting health, for all the people of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Shukraan jazeelan. Merci beaucoup. I thank you.