The two-day meeting sessions will be conducted in a hybrid format, combining in-person attendance with online participation.

Qatar partook in the fourth meeting of the Standing Committee on Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness, and Response at the World Health Organization (WHO), which initiated its proceedings at its headquarters in Geneva on Thursday.

According to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Qatar’s delegation is led by Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, who is also the Chair of the WHO Executive Board. 

The meeting will highlight several critical topics, including updated ongoing public health emergencies of international matters. 

Per QNA, the meeting discusses enhancing the WHO Health Emergencies Programme and its oversight, including health threats requiring further preparedness. 

The Standing Committee on Health Emergency Prevention comprises 14 members representing WHO’s provinces. 

Members are elected from among the Executive Board associates and the Executive Board Chair and Vice-Chair by their positions.

WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme operates with all countries and partners to ensure the world is better prepared for all-hazards health emergencies that endanger global health security, such as the worldwide pandemic that unfurled in 2019. 

Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari is a Qatari healthcare management professional; she was appointed Qatar’s Minister of Public Health in January 2016 and served on multiple medical boards in Qatar. 

In 2015, she appeared at number 20 on the CEO Middle East list of the 100 Most Powerful Arab Women.