Egypt Launches First D-8 Health Ministers’ Meeting to Establish New Strategic Cooperation Track

Egypt on Tuesday opened the inaugural meeting of health ministers from the Developing Eight (D-8) countries, marking the official launch of a new strategic health cooperation track mandated by the Cairo Declaration issued at the latest D-8 Summit.

Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population, announced the start of the three-day gathering in Cairo, which brings together health ministers, senior officials, and technical experts from all member states.

The first day included four technical sessions covering key areas of joint action: public health systems and disease prevention, maternal and newborn health, pharmaceutical manufacturing and vaccine access, and digital health and data systems.

In his opening address, Deputy Health Minister Dr. Abla El-Alfi welcomed the D-8 delegations, describing the meeting as a “historic milestone” for a unified health agenda representing more than 1.1 billion people across three continents. She underscored that health is a fundamental pillar of security, prosperity, and human dignity.

“We meet today for the first time as a health community spanning three continents, equipped with outstanding scientific capabilities and diverse expertise,” El-Alfi said. “Together, we aim to build a new health track within the D-8 that addresses shared challenges—from pandemics and non-communicable diseases to infectious threats and climate change—through innovation, solidarity, and resilience.”

El-Alfi noted that Egypt initiated the establishment of this health track to turn collective challenges into opportunities for deeper South-South cooperation.

Dr. Mohamed Hassani, Assistant Minister for Public Health Initiatives, chaired the high-level experts’ meeting, stressing that the objective is to develop a unified technical vision under the theme “Innovation, Equity and Resilience.”

Hassani said Egypt is proud, during its current presidency of the D-8, to lead the launch of this strategic health track, built on four core pillars aimed at strengthening knowledge exchange, joint training, regional surveillance, early detection, and equitable access to medicines and vaccines — serving more than 1.1 billion citizens across the eight member countries.