The Global Institute for the Elimination of Infectious Diseases (GLIDE) and the World Health Organization's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo have signed a strategic partnership agreement aimed at accelerating the elimination of preventable communicable diseases across the Eastern Mediterranean region. The agreement seeks to unify technical, research, and financing efforts and promote innovation in public health; the signing ceremony took place at the WHO office in Geneva.
The partnership aims to develop integrated disease surveillance systems and advance innovation and digital transformation in public health by building national capacities in the use of artificial intelligence and advanced technologies.
The initiative also supports the WHO Regional Office's new multi-disease elimination initiative to accelerate the elimination of communicable diseases, focusing in its first phase on 14 diseases that represent a significant health burden and offer opportunities for integrated interventions.
The initiative seeks to strengthen shared health system functions, deliver integrated health services, and develop coordinated monitoring mechanisms across various programmes, while preserving the individual goals, indicators, and verification pathways specific to each disease.