WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Ahmed Mandhari, met with the Ambassador of Japan to Egypt, Oka Hiroshi, to affirm the continued cooperation between WHO and Japan in responding to regional health crises. “We deeply value the generous support provided by our long-standing donor, the Government of Japan, to countries and territories of the Eastern Mediterranean Region,” said Mandhari. “This enduring partnership has yielded significant advances in health care across the Region, bolstering the Region’s resilience to various health challenges.” The eastern Mediterranean is no stranger to crises, with several countries facing natural and human-made emergencies. According to a WHO statement issued Sunday, the Eastern Mediterranean has the highest number of people in need and the highest in terms of displaced people of any WHO Region. The statement notes that the Region is highly vulnerable to the public health impacts of climate change, making the need for continued support even more pressing. WHO responds to multiple large-scale emergencies and disease outbreaks and focuses on enhancing the humanitarian-development nexus. WHO seeks to implement the nexus approach through sustainable interventions such as health systems strengthening and the expansion of universal health coverage and primary health care. To date, the Government of Japan has made voluntary contributions to the Region totalling US$ 150 million from 2016 to 2023, according to the statement. This funding has primarily supported emergency and disease outbreak response efforts.
Source: Jordan News Agency