Addis Ababa, November 3, 2026 (FMC) – Ethiopia is hosting the 7th World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) Global Meeting, marking the first time the international gathering has been held in the WHO African Region.
Opening the meeting in Addis Ababa today, Deputy Director-General of the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Dr. Melkamu Abte, said Ethiopia has steadily strengthened its emergency medical team through sustained investment in national capacities, institutional systems and human resources.
He noted that Ethiopian medical teams have contributed to responses to major disease outbreaks and other emergencies, including incidents, landslides and the Marburg virus outbreak.
Dr. Melkamu said the country is now focused on consolidating the progress made, enhancing operational readiness and ensuring the long-term sustainability of its national emergency medical team. He also expressed Ethiopia’s ambition to further strengthen its institutional capacity and work towards becoming a WHO Collaborating Centre.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, commended Ethiopia’s progress, noting that Senegal was the first African country to receive WHO classification, followed by Ethiopia.
He said the African Region experiences more than 100 significant public health events annually, underscoring the need to strengthen national emergency response capacities.
Emphasizing Africa’s responsibility to build its own response capabilities, Dr. Janabi said, “Africa will not wait for help. Africa is the help,” urging governments to translate their commitments into adequately funded national plans and reinforce regional cooperation.
He also highlighted the African Region Framework 2026–2030, which aims to ensure that every WHO member state in the region has a functional national emergency medical team by 2030.
In a video message, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the global gathering offers an important opportunity to strengthen national capacities and accelerate progress in emergency preparedness and response.
He disclosed that 77 emergency medical teams from 42 countries have received international classification, including Ethiopia’s national team, which became the first civilian team in the WHO African Region to achieve the recognition.
Dr. Tedros stressed that investment in emergency medical teams should extend beyond responding to crises to building a skilled, trained and well-prepared health workforce capable of responding effectively before emergencies escalate.
“Investing in emergency medical teams is not only about responding when crisis strikes,” he said, highlighting the importance of strengthening health systems and building more resilient communities.
The November 3–5 global meeting in Addis Ababa brings together health officials, emergency medical team representatives and international partners to exchange experiences, strengthen collaboration and advance global emergency medical response capabilities.
By Sosina Alemayehu