Chair, Honourable Minister Dr Rakan Nassereldine,
Honourable Ministers, Ambassadors and Heads of Delegation,
Officer-in-Charge, my friend Dr Adham Ismail,
Dear colleagues and friends,
I thank the Regional Director and the Officer-in-Charge for the comprehensive report they have submitted to this committee.
I commend Member States, our regional office and our country offices for the achievements outlined in the report, which Dr Adham has summarized and which I will not repeat in detail.
But across this Region, there are successes to celebrate and challenges to confront.
Over the past year, Member States have continued to advance the health and well-being of their people, often under the most difficult circumstances.
Countries have achieved important milestones in disease elimination.
At the same time, they have continued to strengthen the foundations of healthier societies.
The maternal mortality ratio in the Region has fallen by more than half since 2000, and under-five mortality has declined substantially.
Yet those regional averages conceal profound inequalities.
In some countries affected by conflict and fragility, maternal and under-five mortality remain above acceptable thresholds.
Countries are therefore investing in stronger maternal, newborn and child health services, safer births, better nutrition and improved quality of care across the life course.
Countries are also strengthening their response to noncommunicable diseases, which now account for about two thirds of all deaths in the Region and claim more than 2.8 million lives every year.
More countries are integrating services for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and mental health into primary health care.
Yet much more remains to be done. Nearly half of people with hypertension remain unaware of their condition, and cancer incidence is projected to double over the next two decades.
Prevention, early detection and continuity of treatment must remain priorities in every country.
Immunization programmes have expanded.
Mental health services have become more integrated into primary health care.
Digital health systems have become stronger and more sophisticated.
Access to essential medicines and vaccines has improved.
Countries have strengthened surveillance systems, laboratory capacity, outbreak response mechanisms and preparedness for health emergencies.
The Region continues to show leadership in health workforce development, health financing, regulatory strengthening and local production of medical products.
In countries affected by conflict and crisis, health workers have continued to deliver care under extraordinarily difficult conditions.
Vaccination campaigns have continued.
Outbreaks have been detected and controlled.
People have received treatment for malnutrition, tuberculosis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, mental health conditions and many other health needs.
These achievements are a tribute to your leadership, to the dedication of health workers, and to the resilience of communities throughout the Region.
They demonstrate once again that progress is possible even under the most difficult circumstances, as Dr Adham said earlier.
They also demonstrate the value of partnership.
Across the Region, countries have shown what is possible when governments lead, partners align and WHO delivers support where it is needed most.
Honourable Ministers,
At the same time, the report before us reminds us that the Eastern Mediterranean Region continues to face innumerable challenges.
This Region remains the epicentre of global humanitarian need, with more than 117 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
And it hosts some of the world's largest displacement crises.
Conflict continues to affect millions of people across several countries and territories.
We continue to see an appalling number of attacks on health care.
And climate-related shocks continue to place additional pressure on already fragile health systems.
At the same time, countries are confronting a rapidly growing burden of noncommunicable diseases, rising mental health needs, demographic change and persistent inequities in access to care.
For many countries, these pressures are now compounded by a challenge that cuts across every aspect of health: financing.
The global health financing environment has changed dramatically.
Official development assistance for health has fallen sharply.
Humanitarian funding remains insufficient.
And many countries face increasing fiscal constraints at the national level.
The Regional Director's report documents the consequences.
Health facilities have reduced services or closed.
Programmes have been scaled back.
Critical functions have come under pressure.
At the very moment when needs are increasing, resources are declining.
When a facility closes, a woman may lose access to skilled care during pregnancy and childbirth.
When outreach programmes are suspended, children miss vaccinations and nutrition services.
When essential medicines become unavailable, patients with diabetes, hypertension, cancer or other chronic conditions see their treatment interrupted.
Behind every budget line is a person.
A mother seeking care for her child.
A patient needing insulin.
A family displaced by conflict.
A community trying to recover from disaster.
For them, financing is not an abstract discussion.
It determines whether essential services are available when they need them.
And that is why sustained investment in health remains essential.
Not because health is a cost.
But because health is an investment.
An investment in stability.
An investment in prosperity.
An investment in peace.
And an investment in human dignity.
Your Excellency Chair, Honourable Ministers,
Against this backdrop, the agenda before you this week addresses many of the challenges you face.
Many of the issues you will discuss correspond directly to the challenges highlighted in the Regional Director's report.
You will discuss health financing and financial protection at a time when countries are searching for sustainable ways to protect access to care.
You will discuss the health workforce when many countries continue to face shortages, migration and uneven distribution of skilled professionals.
In particular, the number of nurses and midwives in this region is less than half the global average per 10,000 people.
As you know, nurses are the very backbone of our health systems and the frontlines of our communities.
Investing in their education, leadership, and protection is not a cost—it is a vital investment that pays a triple return for health, gender equality, and economic growth.
You will discuss access to medical products, local production and regulatory strengthening when supply chains remain vulnerable and affordability remains a challenge.
You will discuss health systems recovery in fragile and conflict-affected settings where millions continue to depend on resilient and functioning health services.
You will discuss disease elimination, primary health care and universal health coverage when preventable disease and unmet health needs continue to hold back development.
You will discuss preparedness and health security when outbreaks, emergencies and climate-related threats continue to test national capacities.
And you will discuss digital health and innovation as countries seek new ways to improve access, quality and efficiency.
Your agenda this week is closely aligned with the Region's Strategic Operational Plan and with the Fourteenth General Programme of Work.
Together, they provide a clear vision for the years ahead.
A vision that is built around promoting health, providing health and protecting health.
A vision that places countries and communities at the centre.
And a vision that recognizes that stronger, more resilient health systems are essential for both universal health coverage and health security.
Honourable Ministers, dear colleagues and friends,
Let me leave you with three requests, aligned with the three core objectives of GPW14.
First, to promote health.
Continue investing in prevention.
Many people in this Region continue to die from causes that are preventable.
That means reducing tobacco use, unhealthy diets, air pollution and other major risk factors for noncommunicable diseases.
It means preventing avoidable maternal and child deaths.
And it means reaching every child with vaccines and every person with the information and services they need to protect their health.
Prevention remains one of the most powerful tools we have.
The healthiest societies are not those that treat the most disease.
They are those that prevent the most disease.
Second, to provide health.
Continue investing in strong, equitable and resilient health systems.
Invest in primary health care as the foundation of universal health coverage.
Make every primary health care facility a place where a woman can receive quality care during pregnancy, where every newborn and child can get a healthy start in life, and where hypertension, diabetes and cancer can be detected and managed early.
Invest in the health workforce, especially in nurses and midwives.
Invest in sustainable health financing.
Invest in access to essential medicines, vaccines and diagnostics.
And ensure that people can obtain the services they need without suffering financial hardship.
These investments generate benefits far beyond the health sector.
They strengthen economies, create jobs, improve social cohesion and support sustainable development.
And third, to protect health.
Continue strengthening preparedness, health security and resilience.
The threats facing this Region are evolving.
Conflicts continue.
Outbreaks continue.
Climate risks continue to grow.
Preparedness cannot be an afterthought.
Preparedness saves lives before emergencies begin.
That means continued investment in surveillance, laboratories, emergency workforces, resilient health facilities, supply chains and community engagement.
It means ensuring that countries are prepared not only for the next outbreak, but for the broader range of threats that increasingly affect health and well-being.
WHO remains fully committed to supporting all Member States in advancing these priorities.
The challenges are real.
But so too are the opportunities.
The achievements contained in this report show what can be accomplished when countries lead, partners align and health remains a political priority.
Because every achievement described in this report demonstrates that a better future remains possible.
And because together, we have the knowledge, the experience and the determination to build it.
Shukran jazeelan. I thank you.