Eastern Mediterranean Region Vision 2023 and expansion of WHO presence at country level: new WHO offices in Bahrain and Kuwait

Forty years after signing with the World Health Organization (WHO) the Basic Agreement for cooperation, the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (WHO/ EMRO) is developing three new country offices: the first in Kuwait, which was inaugurated on 15 June 2021, the second in Bahrain with a planned inauguration on 25 July 2021, while the third is planned to follow soon in Qatar. The expansion of WHO/EMRO's presence in these countries follows from the commitments made in the EMR Vision 2023 by the Regional Director, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, to "bring WHO closer to its Member States", exploit regional opportunities to cooperate and engage with regional resources. It is in full line with the 13th WHO Global Programme of Work (GPW13) objectives and strategic shifts proposed by the Director General of WHO transformative agenda on expanding partnerships, focusing on countries and working with a differentiated approach to engagement as per the country context (3) and needs, moving towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030.