The Health and Humanitarian Aid Department—Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Health Ministers—convened the 62nd Ordinary Session of the Council of Arab Health Ministers on 19 May at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva. The session, chaired by the Republic of Iraq, was attended by all Arab member states with the exception of Djibouti and the Comoros.
Her Excellency Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General and head of the Social Affairs Sector, affirmed that the Council adopted a number of pivotal decisions addressing urgent health priorities across the Arab region. Chief among these was the expression of unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people, in light of the grave and ongoing humanitarian challenges they face. The Council firmly rejected the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and endorsed a package of urgent health measures, including:
The provision of two fully equipped ambulances to support the Palestinian health sector;
The expansion and support of field hospitals in the Gaza Strip, by equipping them with modern medical technologies and increasing their capacity to manage the growing number of casualties;
Measures to ensure continuity of operations during emergencies; and
The promotion of long-term sustainability through developmental health programmes aimed at rebuilding the health system in Gaza.
The Council also stressed the continued work of the Arab Health Committee for Emergency Preparedness and Response, to monitor humanitarian developments in the region, coordinate collective Arab actions, and support initiatives that enhance the readiness of Arab health systems to respond to emergencies. Additionally, it underlined the importance of advancing capabilities in health monitoring, evaluation, and forecasting among Arab member states.
Key decisions and acknowledgments from the session included:
Approval of the bylaws of the Arab Award for Blood Transfusion Services;
Acknowledgment of Kuwait's offer to host the 15th Arab Blood Transfusion Conference in 2026;
Extension of Qatar's presidency of the Arab Authority for Blood Transfusion Services for a second term (2025–2027);
Adoption of the Draft Arab Guiding Strategy to Promote the Use of the Health Economics Approach to Identify Key Health Priorities (2025–2030).
The Council also announced recipients of the 2025 Arab Physician Award: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in recognition of excellence in scientific research, innovation, leadership, and medical professional impact; and the Arab Republic of Egypt, for outstanding governance in health system management and quality.
Winners of the 2025 Distinguished Work in Nursing and Midwifery Award included: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for expanding critical care capacity in disaster response; the Arab Republic of Egypt, for excellence in nursing and midwifery education; and the Kingdom of Morocco, for leadership and management in the nursing profession.
Furthermore, the Kingdom of Bahrain was designated as the Arab Nursing Capital for 2026.
The Council also welcomed the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan's offer to host the Technical Committee on Medical Tourism, with a view to developing a unified Arab strategy for medical and wellness tourism. Additionally, a specialised workshop was held with representatives from member states to discuss the visiting physician system, aimed at enhancing expertise exchange in medical fields.
The Council extended its appreciation to the Kingdom of Bahrain for hosting the Arab Forum for Pharmaceutical Authorities and Manufacturers, commending the forum's outcomes in promoting Arab integration and advancing self-sufficiency in pharmaceuticals and vaccine production across the region.
The Council also extended urgent health and humanitarian support to the United Republic of the Comoros and the Federal Republic of Somalia in response to their immediate needs. Furthermore, it approved the establishment of the Arab Medicines Agency (WAAD) and initiated the necessary procedures for submitting the founding agreement to the Economic and Social Council during its forthcoming session.
The Council expressed its gratitude to the member states that contributed to the budget of the Arab Fund for Health Development. It also announced the appointment of the Arab Republic of Egypt as Chair of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab Health Ministers, with the Kingdom of Bahrain designated as Vice Chair.
Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh noted that the General Secretariat participated in the proceedings of the 78th Session of the World Health Assembly in an observer capacity. His Excellency the Minister of Health of the United Arab Emirates delivered the unified statement on behalf of the Council of Arab Health Ministers during the Assembly's plenary sessions.
During the deliberations of Committee B—specifically the discussion concerning the resolution on health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan—Ambassador Abu Ghazaleh delivered a statement denouncing the ongoing illegal practices perpetrated by the Israeli occupation. She condemned the systematic targeting of individuals, land, and the entire health infrastructure, and expressed deep concern over the use of starvation as a weapon against civilians—an act that flagrantly violates humanitarian principles and contravenes international law.
She called for the immediate cessation of Israeli aggression and urged the international community to uphold its moral and legal obligations by exerting pressure to end the bloodshed. She further stressed the urgent need to guarantee the unobstructed entry of humanitarian aid into all areas of the Gaza Strip, the opening of all crossings for aid delivery, and the empowerment of UNRWA to resume its mandated responsibilities with international support. She reaffirmed the absolute rejection of any form of displacement or forced expulsion of the Palestinian people from their land, condemning Israel's attempts at ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Ambassador Abu Ghazaleh also highlighted her participation in a side event organised by the General Secretariat entitled "The Impact of Women's Cancer: From Suffering to Survival." The event, held in coordination with MSD, the Regional Alliance for Noncommunicable Diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the Swedish Institute of Health Economics, the Distinguished Health Consultancy Group, and Alignneficient Health Consultancies, was attended by several ministers, representatives of Arab states, the World Health Organisation, and a range of health experts and specialists.
The meeting asserted the critical importance of prevention, vaccine availability, and early detection of cervical cancer, as well as the need to intensify awareness efforts across all relevant sectors. These efforts aim to reduce the incidence and mortality rates associated with cervical cancer in the Arab region.
