Opening Remarks by DR HANAN BALKHY, REGIONAL DIRECTOR WHO EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION at the International Nurses Day Webinar

11 MAY 2026

Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, partners,

Dear nurses and midwives,

It is a pleasure to welcome you to this event marking the International Day of the Midwife and International Nurses Day.

Across the Eastern Mediterranean Region, health systems are under sustained strain-and it is the workforce, particularly nurses and midwives on the frontline, who are bearing the brunt of that pressure.

We continue to face critical shortages, uneven distribution and sustained underinvestment.

Nearly one third of countries fall below the minimum workforce density required to deliver essential services, and many struggle to train, recruit and retain nurses and midwives at the scale needed.

These challenges are compounded by crisis.

Nurses and midwives are on the frontline of these risks-often working in unsafe, high-pressure environments while striving to sustain essential care.

In 2025, our Region accounted for 42% of global attacks on health care, 90% of related deaths, with 67% of attacks affecting health personnel.

At the same time, young and early-career nurses are entering a profession marked by uncertainty-limited career pathways, heavy workloads, and, in some settings, insecurity and displacement.

This is the context in which we mark this year's theme: "Invest in, empower and protect our nurses and midwives to save lives."

It is also why WHO has made investing in a resilient health workforce one of our flagship initiatives in the Region.

We are supporting countries to strengthen workforce planning and investment, aligned with the health labour market dynamics, to promote more strategic and sustainable approaches.

And we are prioritizing primary care and essential public health functions-because resilient systems depend on a workforce that is present, skilled and supported where people need care most.

We recognize the need to invest in the future health workforce. We are working to transform education and training, including through digital learning, to equip a workforce with the competencies needed for the future.

We are strengthening regulation and governance to ensure quality, accountability and professional standards across the Region.

At the centre of all of this are nurses and midwives.

They are the largest and most essential segment of the health workforce-delivering care across the life course, anchoring primary health care, and sustaining services in the most complex settings.

But they cannot continue to carry this burden without sustained investment, protection and recognition.

Today's webinar is an opportunity to listen, learn and strengthen our collective action-so we can better invest in, protect and empower nurses and midwives, and in doing so, secure the future of health in our Region.

It is also an opportunity to bring forward the voices and perspectives of early-career and novice nurses as we shape the future workforce.