The State of Qatar hosted the 38th meeting of the WHOs Eastern Mediterranean Regional Commission for Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication (RCC). The four-day meeting reviewed and verified each countrys progress towards maintaining a polio-free status.

Eighteen out of 20 countries within the region have achieved the surveillance standards required for certification of polio eradication. The RCC provisionally accepted reports submitted by 20 polio-free countries in the region, while progress reports of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the two remaining polio-endemic countries, were noted.