World Well being Group (WHO) Regional Director for the Jap Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy paid an official go to to Kuwait between 9 and 12 February 2025. Through the go to, Dr Balkhy met with senior officers and leaders within the well being, industrial, funding, humanitarian and civil society sectors.
Under are a number of the highlights of the go to.
WHO collaborates with Kuwaiti civil society organizations
On 10 February 2025, the WHO workplace in Kuwait convened a roundtable assembly with the Regional Director for the Jap Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy and key civil society organizations in Kuwait with the aim of strengthening collaboration.
The assembly, held at UN Home, introduced collectively leaders from civil society, well being advocacy teams and humanitarian organizations to debate the pivotal position of non-governmental actors in addressing well being challenges throughout crises.
Dr Balkhy emphasised the significance of collaboration, saying: “In humanitarian contexts, civil society performs a essential position in bridging gaps and making certain that well being companies attain essentially the most susceptible populations. Civil society in Kuwait performs a outstanding position in supporting the well being, improvement and humanitarian agenda. WHO is dedicated to working with civil society to deal with urgent wants successfully.”
Subjects coated within the roundtable dialogue included enhancing entry to well being look after susceptible and displaced populations, strengthening well being programs to reply to emergencies extra effectively, constructing capability inside civil society organizations to deal with public well being challenges, and fostering partnerships between WHO, civil society and governments for coordinated well being interventions.
WHO Consultant in Kuwait Dr Assad Hafeez highlighted the worth of civil society’s contributions: “Civil society organizations carry essential neighborhood context and are important to speedy humanitarian responses. Along with WHO and the federal government, they will amplify the influence of well being interventions.”
The roundtable resulted in a set of suggestions to boost WHO-civil society collaboration, together with establishing common communication platforms and joint capacity-building initiatives and the joint implementation of a regional framework for well being response in humanitarian settings.
The occasion underscored WHO’s concentrate on leveraging partnerships to realize common well being protection and strengthen well being resilience, notably in crisis-affected areas.
Ladies leaders roundtable
On 11 February 2025, Dr Balkhy met with ladies leaders from throughout Kuwait to debate the essential position ladies play in advancing well being outcomes.
The occasion highlighted Kuwait’s achievements in empowering ladies and their contributions to well being, training and innovation, and featured discussions on fostering gender fairness and enhancing ladies’s participation in management roles.
Dr Balkhy praised Kuwait’s progress, saying: “Ladies in Kuwait are driving transformative change throughout sectors. Their contributions are important to constructing resilient well being programs and making certain fairness for future generations.”
WHO Consultant in Kuwait Dr Assad Hafeez emphasised the progress Kuwait has made in empowering feminine leaders. “You will need to maintain this momentum,” he mentioned. “Ladies are essential to reaching Kuwait’s well being targets and sustainable improvement.”
The roundtable included discussions of how to strengthen mentorship programmes to nurture feminine well being leaders, improve alternatives for ladies in scientific analysis and innovation and promote regional and worldwide collaboration on gender and well being points.
The roundtable was a part of a collection of engagements Dr Balkhy undertook throughout her go to to Kuwait. The go to aimed to strengthen cross-sectoral partnerships for well being and well-being.
Innovation roundtable for well being and well-being
12 February 2025, Kuwait, Kuwait Metropolis – The World Well being Group (WHO) workplace in Kuwait convened a roundtable dialogue gathering leaders from throughout sectors to interact with Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy with the aim of bolstering the innovation ecosystem for well being and well-being.
Discussions centered on leveraging public-private partnerships and educational analysis to deal with rising well being challenges, foster innovation and strengthen well being programs.
“An efficient well being innovation ecosystem requires the lively participation of stakeholders, from academia to the non-public sector and civil society,” mentioned Dr Balkhy. “It’s nice to see the progress being made on this regard in Kuwait. WHO calls on all innovators and problem-solvers to get entangled.”
WHO Consultant in Kuwait Dr Assad Hafeez famous: “The rising innovation ecosystem in Kuwait displays not solely an curiosity in well being innovation however the rising power of the broader know-how ecosystem. That is attainable because of good insurance policies and invested management throughout sectors.”
The roundtable dialogue highlighted alternatives to combine innovation into well being programs, encourage funding in digital well being applied sciences, improve collaboration on analysis and improvement for noncommunicable ailments and construct resilient well being programs to deal with emergencies and public well being dangers.
The roundtable aligned with WHO’s strategic priorities to foster innovation and strengthen common well being protection.
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