A Review of the National Community Health Policy to strengthen gains and accelerate reforms
Benin publishes its first health sector report and reviews a decade of progress
Ethiopia reports suspected viral haemorrhagic fever outbreak
Namibia advances regulatory strengthening through WHO-assisted self-benchmarking exercise
Windhoek—The World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a week-long assisted self-benchmarking exercise aimed at strengthening Namibia’s national regulatory system for medical products. Held in Windhoek from 20 to 24 October 2025, the assisted self-benchmarking used the WHO Global Benchmarking Tool (GBT) to review the maturity of the country’s regulatory functions and to identify the strengths of the system and priority areas for improvement.
WHO joins the UN in celebrating 80 years of progress and partnerships with a major health campaign in Liberia
To mark the United Nations’ 80th anniversary, WHO, in partnership with other UN agencies and the Government of Liberia, launched a health campaign to deliver crucial preventive care, early detection services, and essential health awareness to people across the country.
Strengthening collaboration for safer blood and availability
Windhoek—The World Health Organization (WHO) visited the Namibia Blood Transfusion Service (NamBTS) Headquarters in Windhoek to gain an in-depth understanding of the organization’s operations and identify potential areas for closer collaboration. The visit, initiated by NamBTS, provided WHO an opportunity to observe the entire blood donation and transfusion value chain, from donor recruitment and collection to testing, processing and safe patient transfusion.
Strengthening capacity on sexual and reproductive health and rights legal and policy frameworks
Zambezi Region—The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), supported the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) to conduct a two-day orientation workshop in the Zambezi region. The training focused on the legal and policy framework for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV), from 3 - 4 November 2025.
Strengthening capacity of healthcare workers to fast-track cervical cancer elimination in Eswatini
Mbabane—Eswatini faces one of the highest burdens of cervical cancer globally. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office has supported the Ministry of Health in the development and ongoing implementation of the Cervical Cancer Elimination Acceleration Plan (2024–2028). This plan aims to achieve the 90–70–90 targets by 2030, in alignment with the WHO Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer as a Public Health Problem.
Ethiopia Launches Month-Long Cervical Cancer Screening and Treatment Campaign Across Six Regions
Addis Ababa, 7 November 2025 — The Ministry of Health (MOH), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and with financial support from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), has officially launched a month-long mass campaign to screen and treat cervical cancer in six regions: Addis Ababa, Amhara, Central Ethiopia, Oromia, Sidama, and South Ethiopia.
Sierra Leone strengthens readiness for vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks through tabletop simulation exercise
Freetown—Sierra Leone has completed a two-day tabletop simulation exercise, held from 5–6 November 2025 at the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) in Freetown. The exercise was led by the Ministry of Health through the National Public Health Agency, with technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO). Funding was provided by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, under the Joint Emergency Action Plan (JEAP), and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).