Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean
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| Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean | |
|---|---|
| Name | Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean |
| Type | Intergovernmental advisory body |
| Parent | World Health Organization |
| Region served | Eastern Mediterranean |
| Headquarters | Cairo |
| Formation | 1949 |
Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean is the regional policy and governing forum for World Health Organization activities in the Eastern Mediterranean region, convening ministers, experts and delegations from member states such as Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine (region), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The committee interfaces with international actors including the United Nations, UNICEF, World Bank Group, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Médecins Sans Frontières, and regional bodies such as the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council. It shapes regional strategies that intersect with programs by Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, UNAIDS, UNHCR, and UNICEF.
History
The committee emerged in the post‑Second World War expansion of World Health Organization governance, following inaugural regional arrangements similar to those in the Pan American Health Organization and the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Early sessions addressed endemic diseases familiar from historical campaigns such as smallpox eradication efforts guided by pioneers linked to Alexander Fleming era science and later to programmes influenced by initiatives from David Sencer and Halfdan T. Mahler. During the Cold War era the committee navigated geopolitical tensions involving United Kingdom, France, United States, and regional decolonization movements in Algeria, Sudan, and Yemen. In the 1970s and 1980s the committee prioritized primary health care following the Alma-Ata Declaration alongside collaborations with UNICEF vaccination drives and World Bank Group health sector reforms. More recent history includes responses to crises such as the Syrian civil war, Iraq War, Sudan conflict, Yemen humanitarian crisis, and public health emergencies like COVID-19 pandemic and recurrent cholera outbreaks, coordinating with agencies including UNHCR and International Committee of the Red Cross.
Structure and Membership
The committee comprises health ministers and official delegates from WHO member states in the region, observers from non-member territories and representatives from organizations like the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council, African Union, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, UNICEF, UNDP, and the World Bank Group. A rotating chairmanship is elected from among member states, reflecting diplomatic practice seen in bodies such as the United Nations General Assembly and the UN Security Council non‑permanent seats. Secretariat support is provided by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo, led by a regional director appointed by the WHO Director-General. Technical advisory panels draw on expertise from institutions like the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Institute Pasteur, CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and national public health institutes including Institut Pasteur de Tunis and Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population laboratories.
Functions and Responsibilities
The committee sets regional policy guidance, endorses strategic plans and regional health priorities, and reviews implementation of resolutions similar to mechanisms in the World Health Assembly. It adopts frameworks that intersect with initiatives by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and UNAIDS, and it issues recommendations impacting national strategies of Pakistan, Morocco, Jordan, and Lebanon. The body oversees technical cooperation in disease surveillance systems compatible with International Health Regulations (2005), supports capacity building with partners like WHO Collaborating Centres, and promotes standards aligned with agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and International Labour Organization where cross-sectoral action is required. It also facilitates mobilization of resources from multilateral lenders including the World Bank Group and bilateral partners like United Kingdom Department for International Development (historically) and contemporary donors such as European Union mechanisms.
Meetings and Resolutions
The committee meets annually in regular sessions often hosted in Cairo at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and convenes special sessions during emergencies, paralleling emergency meetings of the World Health Assembly and UN General Assembly convenings for humanitarian crises. Resolutions adopted address immunization strategies, noncommunicable disease frameworks paralleling WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs, emergency preparedness akin to International Health Regulations (2005), and health systems strengthening in contexts similar to reconstruction programmes in Iraq and Lebanon. Outcomes are communicated to the WHO Executive Board, member state capitals, and partners such as UNICEF, UNHCR, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and World Bank Group to coordinate financing, implementation, and monitoring. Notable resolutions have shaped regional responses to polio eradication, measles outbreaks, and pandemic preparedness during H1N1 and COVID-19 pandemic.
Regional Health Priorities and Programs
Priority areas include communicable disease control for polio, tuberculosis, and hepatitis C; immunization programs coordinated with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; maternal and child health initiatives aligned with UNICEF goals; and noncommunicable disease prevention influenced by the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013–2020. The committee advances health workforce development in line with recommendations from institutions such as the World Health Organization workforce observatory and academic partners like Aga Khan University and American University of Beirut. Programs address water, sanitation and hygiene in partnership with the UNICEF, UNDP, and World Bank Group projects, and coordinate humanitarian health responses alongside International Committee of the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières in conflict settings including Syria and Yemen.
Coordination with WHO and Member States
The committee functions as the primary conduit between the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and national ministries represented in capitals such as Riyadh, Tehran, Kabul, Islamabad, Cairo, Amman, and Beirut. It aligns regional strategies with global policies emanating from the World Health Assembly and the WHO Executive Board, and engages with multilateral donors including the World Bank Group and European Commission for financing. Implementation relies on collaboration with national public health institutes, academic centers like King Saud University and Cairo University School of Medicine, and international partners such as UNICEF, UNHCR, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The committee’s advisory role helps synchronize emergency responses involving International Health Regulations (2005), cross‑border disease surveillance with neighbouring regions like WHO Regional Office for Europe, and joint initiatives with regional organizations including the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.