March 2025, Doha, Qatar – WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy concluded a successful official visit to Qatar aimed at strengthening collaboration on key health priorities, including health emergencies, climate change, humanitarian response, health workforce development and substance use.
The visit marked a significant step in WHO’s deepening partnership with Qatar. In meetings with senior Qatari officials discussions ranged from advancing humanitarian health initiatives and supporting vulnerable populations to reinforcing Qatar’s leadership in global health security.
Dr Balkhy’s meeting with Minister of Public Health H.E. Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al Mahmoud focused on reinforcing strategic cooperation on the implementation of Qatar’s National Development Strategy 3 (NDS3) and National Health Strategy 3 (NHS3). Their discussions also explored WHO-Qatari collaboration on expanding equitable access to medical products, one of Dr Balkhy’s 3 flagship initiatives, and highlighted Qatar’s leadership role within WHO.
In a constructive meeting with Minister of State for International Cooperation H.E. Maryam Al Misnad, Dr Balkhy reaffirmed the importance of WHO’s partnership with Qatar in advancing regional and global health priorities. Their discussion focused on health challenges in conflict-affected countries and explored ways to rebuild health system infrastructure, including health workforce training and re-accreditation, in line with another of the flagship initiatives.
Qatar’s substantial contributions to humanitarian health efforts in crisis-affected regions such as the Syrian Arab Republic, occupied Palestinian territory and Sudan formed a major focus of the visit. Dr Balkhy discussed ways to strengthen joint efforts in health system development, financing and emergency response with key stakeholders and held discussions with the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) and Qatar Charity (QC) on reinforcing cooperation on emergency preparedness and the delivery of medical and humanitarian aid.
Ways to advance collaboration on health system strengthening and improve access to essential health services in fragile settings were also explored with the Director General of the Qatar Fund for Development Mr Fahad Al Sulaiti. The discussions covered joint strategies and capacity-building to deliver sustainable health solutions.
Climate-related health issues, including Qatar’s progress towards goals set out in its National Action Plan for Climate Change 2030 and the importance of the health sector’s role in climate resilience, dominated Dr Balkhy’s meeting with H.E. Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
“We highly value Qatar’s commitment to addressing health challenges related to climate change, including air quality and urban sustainability,” said Dr Balkhy. “This visit has provided an opportunity to explore deeper collaboration, particularly in advancing WHO’s health and climate agenda. We also look forward to working with Qatar to expand expertise in health education and workforce development across the Region, particularly when it comes to innovation and capacity-building.”
Ways to strengthen collaboration on health education and workforce development and accelerate public health action on substance use were explored during Dr Balkhy’s meeting with H.E. Lolwah Al Khater, Minister of Education and Higher Education.
A meeting with Assistant Undersecretary for Urban Affairs Mr Turki Al Turki provided an opportunity to strengthen cooperation on the Healthy Cities initiative and explore strategies to better integrate health into urban planning to support Qatar’s vision for sustainable, climate-resilient cities. Discussions with H.E. Sheikha Hanouf Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Director of the International Organizations Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focused on establishing a strategic cooperation framework between WHO and Qatar to formalize and expand joint initiatives.
Integrated health and social protection policies for vulnerable populations, including joint initiatives in mental health, violence prevention and promoting healthy lifestyles through community-based programmes formed the substance of talks with Mr Fahd Al Khayarin, Undersecretary for Social Development and Family.
At Qatar University, Dr Balkhy discussed opportunities for collaboration on health education, research and workforce development with Professor Asma Al Thani, Vice President for Health and Medical Sciences. The focus was on digital mental health, academic exchanges and advancing public health action on substance use.
The outcomes of the seventh edition of the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) were reviewed with WISH CEO Dr. Slim Slama. Opportunities for further collaboration with WISH, the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) CEO Mr. Stavros Yiannuka, and a representative from the Doha International Family Institute were also explored, with a focus on health education, innovation, and improving regional access to care.
Dr Balkhy’s field trips included Naufar Hospital, a leading centre for substance use treatment and rehabilitation. The visit aligned with Dr Balkhy’s third flagship initiative: discussions focused on collaboration in capacity-building, research and training programmes on the skills needed to address substance use effectively.
The visit’s full schedule of high-level engagements underscored the deepening partnership between WHO and Qatar and allowed both parties to reaffirm their shared commitment to advancing health goals and strengthening humanitarian health efforts across the Eastern Mediterranean Region and beyond.
