Oman hosts World Health Organisation meeting

Muscat: Oman hosted the fourth meeting of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) collaborating centres (CCs) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
The meeting, organised by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, was attended by directors of WHO CCs working in the region, in addition to officers from the regional office and WHO.
WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr. Ahmed Al Mandhari said at the opening of the event, “(The) fourth meeting of the WHO CCs in the EMR aims to review the updated rules and policies regulating the (re)designation of the CCs and streamline their collaboration with WHO’s programme of work.”
He also noted that it is the first time such a meeting has been held outside the premises of WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean since it relocated to Cairo in 2000. Dr Arash Rashidian, Director, Information, Evidence and Research Vision at WHO, added, “By the end of the 4th WHO CCs meeting, participants will have a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the CCs and of ways to improve collaboration between centres in shared areas of work.”
A WHO CC is an institution, such as a research institute, university or academy, designated by the WHO director-general to form part of an international collaborative network to conduct a range of activities in support of WHO’s work at all levels.
WHO CCs represent a valuable resource and provide strategic support to the organisation in the implementation of its mandated work and in developing and strengthening institutional capacity in countries and regions.
There are 45 WHO CCs in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, covering more than 30 areas of work.