The Sixty-fourth Session of WHO’s Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean will open on Monday evening, 9 October 2017, in Islamabad, Pakistan. As WHO’s governing body at the regional level, the Regional Committee comprises representatives of all 22 countries in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region. In the presence of His Excellency Mr Mamnoon Hussain, President of Pakistan, the opening session will be inaugurated by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General, Dr Mahmoud Fikri, WHO’s Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, and H.E. Dr Ahmed Emad El-Din Radi, Minister of Health and Population of Egypt, and Chair of the Sixty-third Regional Committee.

Key technical health issues on this year's agenda will include:

• prevention, management and control of cancer
• climate change and health
• adolescent health
• antimicrobial resistance.

The 4-day programme will also include progress reports on priority areas of public health. These reports provide updates on implementation of resolutions approved by the Regional Committee at previous sessions.