This publication takes stock of ongoing work relating to childhood lead exposure with a view to consolidating and disseminating scientific knowledge and experience as two important elements in the process of implementing the healthy environment for children initiative effectively in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. It reflects the status of childhood lead as a significant environmental issue of particular concern to children's health and well-being, and offers a comprehensive review of 37 studies conducted in the Region focusing on childhood lead issues

Healthy city programmes have been implemented in countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region for 20 years. However, no universal systematic approach for the implementation of the healthy city programme has been established. World Health Day 2010 provided the opportunity to push forward the urbanization and health agenda by securing the political commitment of more than 200 cities in the Region. Entrance into the regional healthy city network is contingent upon meeting certain criteria that quality a city as a "healthy city". This concise, simple and practical guide is intended to help countries standardize their methods, mechanism and processes of implementation of the healthy city programme and is particularly targeted at members of healthy city coordinating committees and programme trainers, as well as partners

National health accounts are an internationally accepted tool for collecting, cataloguing and estimating financial flows through the health system regardless of the origin or destination of funds. National health accounts provide information to improve health system performance. To date, national health accounts have been conducted in more than 60 middle-income and low-income countries. The Guide to producing national health accounts, published by WHO in collaboration with the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development in June 2003, offers a comprehensive methodology to producing national health accounts. This short version of the guide presents the principles for producing national health accounts. It is intended for those who are new to national health accounts and who are interested in gaining a basic understanding of the concept in order to be able to initiate the process of producing national health accounts

Population ageing or rapid increase in the number of older people is a global phenomenon. Nations are greying as the elderly population is growing much faster than the overall population due to decreasing fertility and increasing life expectancy. In most of the industrialized world, population ageing has been a gradual process following steady socioeconomic growth over several decades and generations. In the developing countries, the process is being compressed into two or three decades over a single generation. In 2050, there will be two billion people over the age of 60 years, 80% of whom will be living in developing countries. The strategy for active, healthy ageing and old age care in the Eastern Mediterranean Region 2006-2015 outlines strategic directions for Member States and delineates the role of the Regional Office in supporting the Member States in achieving the stated objectives. The strategy is expected to enable senior administrators, policy-makers and decision-makers to face the challenge of population ageing

The concept and principles of health promotion are increasingly being adopted by countries around the world. In the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region the double burden of disease, and particularly the rising burden of noncommunicable diseases, has made imperative the development of health promotion strategies and activities to prevent health problems and to add healthy years to life. Demographic transition, urbanization, industrialization, migration, environmental change, socioeconomic and political changes, and globalization are having an impact on household formation, labour force participation, work environments and consumption patterns, all of which have an effect on lifestyles and, thus, health. Health promotion is cost-effective. It improves health and has positive impact on economic development through the gain in healthy life years, increased productivity and decrease in economic burden of disease. The regional strategy for health promotion was developed through a consultative process involving a wide range of stakeholders, in particular the Member States of the Region. The strategy takes an integrated approach and will provide support to countries in developing sound and explicit national policies and strategies for health promotion

Members of the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Advisory Panel on Nursing have been instrumental in developing this regional strategy. the strategy is recommended to those who work in and those who are responsible for the provision of health services in member states. It provides a framework that aims to assist in the development of effective and efficient nursing and midwifery services. This strategy takes the position that quality nursing servecies, both in the hospital and community health setting, are one of the main pillars of health system development and achieving health for all. It recognizees that nursing and midwifery development requires collaborative action by governments, the public and health care providers including members of the nursing and midwifery professions. It is hoped that this publication will serve as a useful resource for policy-makers and managers in the health system, as well as nurses and midwives, in their efforts to meet the current and future challenges in the 21st century

This timely publication comes at a time of global interest in promoting the development of appropriate national health research systems in low and middle-income developing countries. It presents the findings of a detailed and systematic situation analysis of the national health research systems in five countries of WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region: Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Morocco, Pakistan and Sudan. The aim of the study was to pave the way for developing innovative and effective strategies for strengthening national health research systems in the Region. The experience gained will be shared with other countries in the Region and will provide a critical input to WHO's collaboration in the Region in the area of health research in the coming years