WHO Regional Director’s statement for the Executive Board 156: Poliomyelitis
February 2025
Esteemed Chair, Your Excellencies, Director-General,
Ours is the only remaining WHO region with endemic wild poliovirus.
We have an immense responsibility, which the region has accepted with confidence and commitment.
As 2024 began, we were on the verge of eradicating wild poliovirus in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the last two polio-endemic countries. But then came a resurgence, alongside outbreaks of variant poliovirus in Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and the Gaza Strip.
I was privileged to visit Afghanistan and Pakistan twice last year. I saw amazing work by frontline health workers. We need to strengthen their capacities so they can do even more.
Our strategy remains straightforward: vaccinate every child and keep up a robust search for poliovirus, to stop further spread.
Achieving this is far from simple. Afghanistan and Pakistan face immense geopolitical, infrastructural, environmental and security challenges.
But none of these challenges is insurmountable.
In Gaza, during a humanitarian pause last year, over 560, 000 children were vaccinated against polio – thanks to WHO led multi-actor, multi-level coordination and the courage of communities and health workers.
If we did it in Gaza, we can do it anywhere.
Member States asked last evening about cooperation among countries. Our Region leads the way. The Ministerial Regional Subcommittee for Polio Eradication and Outbreaks, which I convene and is cochaired by Qatar and UAE, has united the region in solidarity, collective action and mutual support. WHO is convening the Health
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