Activities and Priorities

Activities to fulfill office mission include:

• Coordinating HHS health initiatives for the Middle East Region
• Advising the Office of the Secretary in the development of policy related to global health in the region
• Coordinating with other Federal departments, agencies, and offices as well as with international organizations, multilateral organizations, and foreign governments on global health activities

Current priorities include:

• Maternal and Child Health
• Disease surveillance and prevention
• Immunizations and polio eradication efforts
• Building health capacity through the training and retention of healthcare workers
• Promotion of regional support for health priorities
• Evidenced-based research
• Public/private partnerships

Items of Interest:

• The meeting of HHS Assistant Secretary Howard Koh with Afghanistan (Acting) Minister of Public Health Surya Dalil in 2011 to discuss HHS technical assistance and health workforce development in Afghanistan. 
• In 2010, the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council (USSABC) signed a Memorandum with Washington State Department of Commerce to increase the trade of agricultural products, healthcare and biomedical technologies between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. 
• Iraqi and U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq's behavioral health care system as discussed at a public symposium hosted by the Iraqi Cultural Center.
• Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation Between the Ministry of Health in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Department of Health and Human Services in the United States of America in the Field of Public Health and Medical Sciences

Useful Links

For more information on HHS, regional global health activities, and partners please refer to the following links:

• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Middle East and North African Region Information, Grants and Resources
• Food and Drug Administration Middle East and North Africa Office
• Global Reproductive Health: Building Reproductive Health Capacity
• World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO)

Contact OGA Middle East Office

Office of Global Affairs
Middle East Affairs
330 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20201
Phone: (202) 690-6174, (202) 260-0399
Fax: (202) 690-7127
globalhealth@hhs.gov

Department of State Country Information

• Middle East (Near East) Countries
• U.S. Embassies, Consulates, and Diplomatic Missions in the Middle East (and North Africa)
• Afghanistan & Pakistan
• Background Notes