Africa: WHO Calls for Urgent Health Action Across the Eastern Mediterranean

What the report says

The World Health Organization has urged urgent health action across the Eastern Mediterranean, a region that includes countries and territories facing major humanitarian emergencies such as Sudan, Yemen and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The appeal was delivered by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a regional committee meeting in Cairo, where he spoke to health leaders and senior officials about the annual state of health in the region.

According to the UN News report distributed by AllAfrica, Tedros said governments have made progress over the past year despite difficult conditions, including stronger efforts to address noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. He noted, however, that the region remains at the center of global humanitarian need, with widespread displacement, conflict, attacks on healthcare and worsening climate-related pressures on already fragile systems.

He also warned that the gap between needs and available resources is widening as international funding falls and national budgets come under strain. The WHO chief called on governments to keep investing in resilient health systems, health workers and disease prevention, including vaccination, tobacco control and early detection of major illnesses.

Tedros said preparedness should not be treated as an afterthought, and emphasized the need for stronger surveillance, laboratories, emergency teams, facilities and supply chains. The message reflects broader concerns about how conflict, outbreaks and climate shocks are affecting health services across the region, which spans 22 countries and territories.