Nayrouz News Agency :
Between October 22 and 23, 2025, the Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET), in partnership with the Middle East Council on Global Affairs and Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, and with support from Wellcome, successfully convened the Middle East and Central Asia Regional Workshop on Global Health Reform.
Held in Amman, Jordan, this high-level workshop brought together around 40 senior stakeholders and experts from across the Middle East and Central Asia to reimagine and strengthen the global health architecture from a regional perspective. This is one of five regional dialogues being supported by Wellcome to discuss the specific needs of different regions and how changes to the global health system can be made possible.
Over two intensive days, policymakers, participants from international and regional organizations, civil society leaders, and academic experts, engaged in a series of plenary panels and breakout discussions to critically examine the current global health architecture ("Stock take”), envision the features of a more equitable and responsive system ("Rethink”), and identify concrete pathways for reform ("Reform Pathways”).
The workshop fostered inclusive, multilingual dialogue, with simultaneous interpretation in Arabic and Russian, ensuring that voices from across the region could contribute fully.
Discussions highlighted the need for more coherent governance structures, sustainable financing models, and stronger regional collaboration mechanisms that reflect the priorities and contexts of Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries.
By the close of the workshop, participants had reached a shared understanding of the region’s top priorities for global health reform, identifying both consensus-driven recommendations and context-specific challenges.
This workshop has demonstrated the power of regional collaboration in shaping the future of global health,” said Dr. Mohannad Al Nsour, Executive Director of EMPHNET.
"The insights and recommendations generated here reflect our shared commitment to practical, context-driven solutions that can make a real difference on the global stage.”
Prof. Yousef Khader, Director of the Center of Excellence for Applied Epidemiology at EMPHNET, emphasized that "This open dialogue has produced a clear set of regional priorities and reform pathways grounded in local realities. These outcomes will not only guide the region’s contributions to the global reform agenda but also strengthen cross-country collaboration for more resilient health systems.”
The Middle East and Central Asia Regional Workshop on Global Health Reform represents a milestone in the region’s engagement with the global reform agenda. By fostering shared understanding and collective ownership of reform priorities, this initiative lays the foundation for a stronger, more inclusive, and accountable global health architecture, one that truly reflects the voices and realities of the Middle East and Central Asia.