On Monday, September 8, 2025, the 19th meeting of the Supervisory Council of the Gulf Center for Disease Prevention and Control was held at the headquarters of the Gulf Health Council in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the participation of representatives from GCC member states. The meeting addressed the latest developments in the Center’s activities and its future plans.
The session was opened by H.E. Dr. Al-Munthir Al-Hasawi, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Affairs of the State of Kuwait and Chair of the current session, who emphasized the importance of Gulf cooperation in disease prevention and control and in strengthening regional health security.
H.E. Dr. Pasi Penttinen, Chief Executive Officer of the Center, presented the minutes of the 18th meeting, providing a comprehensive update on the Center’s key achievements. He also reviewed the main performance indicators and the plan for updating the future strategy for 2026–2030, in line with the aspirations of GCC states to advance prevention and health security.
Council members also discussed the ongoing negotiations on the World Health Organization’s Pandemic Agreement and the Center’s role in supporting these negotiations and shaping a strategy to strengthen Gulf participation in international epidemic-response policies.
The meeting concluded with the launch of the first Gulf Cancer Registry Report by the Center, covering cancer cases from 2013 to 2020.
This meeting comes as part of the Center’s ongoing efforts to strengthen health integration among GCC countries, develop effective responses to shared health challenges, and enhance prevention and public health across the region.