This is my first Regional Committee as Regional Director, and I would like to start by thanking our outgoing Chair, His Excellency Dr Ali Haji Adam Abubakar, Minister of Health and Human Services of Somalia. Dr Ali.
I thank our gracious hosts, the Government of Qatar. They have engaged very energetically at every stage of preparations for this meeting, led by Her Excellency the Minister of Public Health, Dr Hanan Al-Kuwari.

I thank Qatar for hosting this year’s Regional Committee Meeting, which comes at a very difficult time for the region, with conflict in the occupied Palestinian territory, Sudan, Yemen, and now in Lebanon.
A month ago I was in Sudan with Dr Balkhy, where we saw for ourselves the effects of the conflict that has caused such destruction, death, disease and the displacement of more than 13 million people – one quarter of Sudan’s population.