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Dr Mahmoud Fikri appointed WHO regional director

GENEVA, January 25, 2017

The World Health Organization’s executive board has appointed Dr Mahmoud Fikri, from the UAE, as WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO).

This appointment follows his nomination by the regional committee for EMRO in October last year. Dr Fikri will take up his appointment for a five-year term starting on February 1.

Currently, Dr Fikri is adviser to the Minister of Health of UAE and was previously the Assistant-Undersecretary for Preventive Medicine and Health Policies Affairs in the Ministry (1995–2013). He served as a member of the board of directors of the WHO Centre for Health Development; WHO Kobe Centre, Japan; and a member of the advisory board of the Gulf Health Council for Cooperation Council States (1996-2005). He was also a member of the WHO executive board from 1997 to 2000.

For the last 19 years, Dr Fikri has been either a Member or the Head of UAE’s Ministry of Health (MoH) Delegation to WHO’s Health Assembly and the Regional Committee for EMRO.

Dr Fikri was a member of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Advisory Group during the period 2008-2011 when the open–ended working group of member states worked to finalise the PIP Framework for sharing influenza viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits.

He was responsible for upgrading and adapting the National Immunization Programme of UAE in line with the Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI) of WHO. Due to these efforts, the United Arab Emirates has achieved polio and malaria–free status, said a WHO statement.

Dr Fikri is a member of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs Standing Committee entrusted with the follow- up of the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights report (2009-2013) and a Member of the UAE National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (2007-2013).

Dr Fikri graduated in medicine and surgery from Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt in 1979. He holds a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from Liverpool School UK in 1984. He is a member of the faculty of Public Health Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians UK (2000) and holder of a PHD in Medicine from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Devila, Romania.

EMRO comprises the following member states: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen. - TradeArabia News Service




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