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 recommendations for policy, advocacy, and interventions, and provides a foundation for future research.
The second issue will be published in April.
I encourage you all to read it on the EMHJ website.
This morning, there is concerning news of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, with unconfirmed reports indicating that hundreds have been killed. I echo the Humanitarian Coordinator in his call for an end to hostilities, sustained humanitarian assistance, release of the hostages and the restoration of basic services and people’s livelihoods. This is the only way forward.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This is my second Ramadan as WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.
I hope that the Blessed Month meets you in health and wellness. I know, for many in our Region, that is not the case this year.
As we approach the Eid al-Fitr holidays, there will be little to celebrate for the millions of men, women and children caught up in the countless crises that afflict our part of the world.
An estimated 110 million people need urgent assistance, accounting for one third of the global humanitarian burden.
WHO is currently responding to 16 graded emergencies across the Region, including seven complex humanitarian crises and 50 disease outbreaks, while also monitoring 61 other public health events.
Six of these emergencies are Grade-3―the most acute crisis level, requiring a major WHO response.
Across the Region, we are working hand in hand with Governments to strengthen capacities to prevent, prepare for, detect, respond to and recover from health emergencies.
Without WHO-led surveillance and early-warning systems, diseases would spread undetected for longer, increasing our vulnerability to outbreaks and pandemics.
Without Emergency Medical Teams, countries with weak health systems would no longer be able to manage large-scale crises.
Without WHO’s last resort supply chain and logistical support, hospitals in conflict zones would run out of fuel, supplies, essential medicines and oxygen.
Without technical assistance for outbreak management, epidemics would be harder to control, and more people would die.
Without support for critical immunisation programmes, millions would be at risk of vaccine-preventable diseases.
And without WHO’s key role in managing biothreats, chemical hazards and laboratory safety, the world be less prepared for biological attacks and lab-related outbreaks.
Every day, from cholera control in Yemen, to the management of severe acute malnutrition in Sudan, to the provision of trauma care in Gaza, WHO’s work saves lives and protects the vulnerable.
A word on the criticism that has been levelled at the WHO, and how we are addressing it. We take this extremely seriously.
Over the years, we have introduced reforms to improve accountability and effectiveness. We have strengthened Incident Management Systems, enhanced Member State coordination, and streamlined processes for faster responses.
Of course there is always room for improvement.
My priority since taking office as WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean has been to deliver results for our Member States.
Soon after taking office last year, I initiated a reform process to ensure that our structure supports our vision, and that our staffing matches the functions required for the delivery of the 14th General Programme of Work (GPW14) in our Region.
We completed reviews of key offices―like in Iraq and Yemen―to right-size our operations. We worked with Directors and Country Representatives on a review of essential functions.
We proactively pursued optimising resources, eliminating duplication, and abolishing vacant positions that we can manage without, particularly at the Director level.
Over the coming weeks, we will roll out a new succession planning and recruitment process for WHO Representatives―to ensure that we have the right people, in the right place, at the right time, delivering the best possible health outcomes.
The new process will reduce the need for acting arrangements, ensure a seamless handover process, and maintain operational continuity. We are also working to expand the pool of qualified WR candidates through coaching, training and headhunting.
We are re-prioritising, re-organising and further streamlining our operations to drive greater efficiency while delivering for the people we serve. We aim to become a leaner more agile organisation that can still deliver at pace.
Recent announcements of foreign aid cuts have given a new impetus to this effort. They underscore the necessity of ensuring that we have the right footprint, structure and talent to deliver.
Our Member States expect to see results and expect value for money. They want us to improve efficiency, enhance oversight and reduce unnecessary expenditure.
We hear them.
Just as we are being asked to do more with less, global health is increasingly under threat, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In Sudan, 20 million people need urgent health assistance and some 25 million will experience acute food insecurity by June this year, but the health cluster response is only 5.6 per cent funded.
In Syria, sixty-five per cent of the population need emergency health assistance, at a time when 70 per cent of the health workforce has left the country, and fewer than half of the nation’s hospitals still function. But WHO faces a funding shortfall of more than 80 per cent.
And in Afghanistan, funding shortages could force the closure of 80 per cent of WHO-supported essential healthcare services by June this year and negatively impact gains made over decades in the fight against polio.
The harsh reality is that, everywhere we operate, there is a deep disconnect between the urgency of the needs we face, and the levels of support being provided.
Our collective failure to adequately respond to these and other crises, to end this persistent and unimaginable suffering, could haunt us for generations to come.
But, with sufficient political commitment, together, we can chart a different course.
While we have little or no control over the geopolitics and other complex factors that fuel these crises, we do have the ability to alleviate the immense suffering that they bring.
The regrettable U.S. announcement to withdraw will have an enormous impact on the World Health Organization and the wider humanitarian sector.
The consequences of the Stop Work Order are acutely felt across our operations, particularly in emergencies.
The United States has long been the top contributor to the WHO – providing 18 per cent of our biennial budget revenue in 2024/25 – and has traditionally topped this up with substantial voluntary contributions to specific programmes.
U.S. funding has helped advance polio eradication, strengthen disease surveillance in conflict zones, and rebuild fragile health systems.
But this was a skewed funding model, and we are seeing its consequences today.
We have long known that we must diversify our sources of funding, and we have been striving to do so.
WHO needs a broader, more balanced donor base, where the financial burden is better shared by all countries.
It cannot be the responsibility of a handful of wealthy nations to shoulder the burden of humanitarian assistance for the entire world.
More countries must step up to help protect the world’s most vulnerable and deliver global health security.
In our own Region, there are nations that are increasingly making their mark in the humanitarian arena. We urge them to turn their attention to health. Their moment is now.
As the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said: “The best of people are those who are most beneficial to others.”
Donors the world over know that there is no safer investment than in the United Nations.
WHO is accountable for every penny received and―when it comes to global health―nobody can do what the WHO does. We are an indispensable pillar of the global health architecture, as well as its primary convener and coordinator.
If WHO were abolished today, it would have to be recreated tomorrow. Global health issues are too big and too complex for any one nation to tackle alone.
We need each other―that’s why the multilateral system was built.
Many still understand this.
At the Executive Board meeting in February, Member States agreed a 20 per cent increase in assessed contributions for the 2026-27 budget, a strong signal of their support. The EB decision will be put to the WHA78 in May, and the Assembly will have the final word.
At the Executive Board, we also heard an outpouring of support from our Member States. Many interventions highlighted the value of WHO’s work, emphasising that no other organisation can do what we do.
So, I conclude this Ramadan briefing with a note of optimism: the vast majority of our Member States remain committed to WHO and its mandate. We will continue to strive – day and night – to earn their confidence and trust.
Thank you.
