Islamabad - The 64th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean will be held next week where representatives from 22 countries will participate.

WHO’s Director-General (DG) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Dr Mahmoud Fikri WHO’s Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean and top global health experts are participating in the high profile event.

The ministers of health and their representatives will discuss important public health priorities for countries of the Region, and more than 250 public health leaders and experts will attend the meeting, including representatives of national, regional and international organizations, and the WHO Secretariat comprising staff from headquarters and the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.

In a statement, the Federal Minister for Health Saira Afzal Tarar said that the mega health event coming to Pakistan is reflective of the country’s increasing role as a major player in global health.

Delegates from South Asian, Middle East, West Asian and North Africa and top experts from across the world be convening in Islamabad to take decisions on the issue of regional character including stopping the spread of disease, fighting epidemics, social protection, control of non-communicable diseases, said the minister.

The Regional Director will present his annual report to the Regional Committee on the work undertaken by the WHO in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in 2016. It focuses on important milestones achieved in response to the five strategic priorities endorsed by countries of the region in 2012.

Focus is placed on five priority areas of public health – emergencies and health security, communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health, and health system strengthening – which align with the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will ensure country progress in moving towards universal health coverage., said the minister.

The regional committee will be invited to endorse a proposed regional framework for action on cancer prevention and control. Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, representing nearly one in six deaths globally. In WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region, most cases of cancer are diagnosed at a late stage when treatments are less effective which results in poorer outcomes for patients.

The proposed framework will assist countries to decide which priority interventions to implement for cancer prevention and control according to their national context.