11 October 2022 – A new approach to risk communication and community engagement in Iraq served to expand emergency response capabilities at a time when COVID-19, cholera and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever were all in circulation. WHO and the Iraqi Ministry of Health developed a multifaceted programme to expand risk awareness and refine messaging, leveraging celebrities, community influences, and faith and tribal leaders to extend outreach.

In a new departure for Jordan, social inclusion activities for children with disabilities are being integrated into wider services for children in an innovative scheme. WHO, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and the Bayt Illiqa Centre for People with Disabilities have collaborated in the project which aims to destigmatize disability and enhance community bonds.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has successfully eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. Eye care was integrated into primary health care in 1987, and a trachoma elimination programme was launched in 1988, interventions that by 1994 had cut the trachoma prevalence rate from 6.2% to 2.6%