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WHO considers Tunisia as a regional platform for vaccine production

Agenzianova.com

– During the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, the WHO signaled its intent to consider Tunisia as a regional reference platform for vaccine production. This was discussed in a bilateral meeting between Tunisia’s Minister of Health, Mustafa Ferjani, and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The meeting highlighted Tunisia’s ongoing collaboration with WHO, particularly through support to integrated “One Health” approach, which links human, animal, and environmental health. This approach will be central to the upcoming MENA Regional One Health Conference, set to take place on June 14-15, 2025. Tunisia’s contribution to the international pandemic agreement and its inclusion in the mRNA vaccine technology transfer program were also commended.

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https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/loms-thinks-of-tunisia-as-a-regional-platform-for-vaccine-production/

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Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Director General, World Health Organization (WHO)

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), having assumed office on July 1, 2017.

He made history as the first person from the WHO African Region to lead the organization and the first to be elected from multiple candidates by the World Health Assembly.

Born in Asmara, Eritrea, Dr. Tedros holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Asmara, a Master of Science in Immunology of Infectious Diseases from the University of London, and a PhD in Community Health from the University of Nottingham.

Before his tenure at WHO, Dr. Tedros served as Ethiopia’s Minister of Health (2005–2012) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2012–2016). As Minister of Health, he led significant reforms, including the creation of 3,500 health centers and 16,000 health posts, and the expansion of the health workforce by 38,000 health extension workers. These efforts contributed to a 60% reduction in child and maternal mortality.

Dr. Tedros has also held leadership roles in global health organizations, such as Chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, Chair of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and Co-chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Board.

At WHO, Dr. Tedros has focused on universal health coverage, emergency preparedness, and health equity. He introduced the “triple billion” targets to improve health outcomes globally and led the organization through significant reforms to enhance its effectiveness.

Dr. Tedros has received numerous accolades, including the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award (2011), honorary degrees from Umeå University (2018), University of Nottingham (2019), and Newcastle University (2019), and the Thomas Francis Jr. Medal in Global Public Health (2023).

Mr. Abdul-Majeid Haddad

Deputy Regional Director and Representative, Regional Office for West Asia, UNEP

Abdul-Majeid Haddad is Deputy Regional Director and Representative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Office for West Asia, where he steers regional action on climate change, pollution control and green finance across 12 countries. 

A UNEP veteran, Haddad previously served as Regional Climate Change Coordinator and Manager of Implementation and, earlier, as Programme Officer for Climate Change and the Marine Environment. 

He is a frequent voice for the region on issues such as circular solutions to plastic pollution, biodiversity conservation, sand-and-dust-storm mitigation, and sustainable finance. 

Dr. Svetlana Edmeades

Lead Economist, The World Bank

Dr. Svetlana Edmeades is a Lead Agriculture Economist in the Agriculture and Food Global Practice in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region of the World Bank

Among other tasks, she is co-leading the operationalization of the One Health agenda in the region. Before joining MENA in 2022, Dr. Edmeades led analytical and operational work for World Bank investments in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Regions.

Among the areas of work she has covered are the analysis of public expenditure in agriculture, growth and jobs in agriculture, climate smart agriculture, circular economy, food loss and waste in the agrifood system, mainstreaming biodiversity into productive space, linking small producers to markets through productive alliances, development of national agricultural and rural development strategies and risk management frameworks, etc.

Dr. Mohamed Rebhi

Director General, Ministry of Health, Government of Tunisia

Dr. Mohamed Rabhi directs Tunisia’s National Authority for Food-Safety (INSSPA) within the Ministry of Health.

He heads nationwide surveillance of food businesses and border inspections, recently overseeing special campaigns that seized more than 3 000 tons of unsafe products in 2024 and a further seven tons ahead of the 2025 New Year holiday. Dr. Rabhi also represents Tunisia in regional One-Health and food-safety fora and briefs the public media on emerging risks

A career public-health officer, he previously led the Ministry’s Directorate of Environmental Hygiene and Environmental Protection (DHMPE), coordinating national food-safety days and hygiene guidelines. An engineer-epidemiologist trained by Dr. Rabhi continues to publish technical guidance on food-borne hazards and training for inspectors.

Dr. Nissaf Ben Alaya

Director General, Tunisia National Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases

Dr. Nissaf Bou Afif Ben Alaya directs Tunisia’s National Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases and chairs the country’s Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP), while also serving as Chair of the EMPHNET FETP Board of Directors.

A preventive medicine specialist and full professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, she heads its Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology and runs the university’s master’s program in epidemiology and biostatistics.

Her research focuses on surveillance, outbreak response and the burden of non-communicable diseases, with more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and leadership of Tunisia’s COVID-19 analytics team.

Dr. Bou Afif earned her MD from the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, an MPH from the University of Paris VI, and a second master’s in Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Modelling from the University of Bordeaux, France.

Dr. Mediha Khammassi Khbou

Associate Professor in Veterinary Epidemiology and Infectious Animal Diseases, Tunisia National School of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Mediha Khammassi Khbou is Associate Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and Infectious Animal Diseases at the National School of Veterinary Medicine, Sidi Thabet–University of Manouba (Tunisia),

Where she leads research on the ecology and control of livestock-borne zoonoses. Dr. Mediha holds an MSc and PhD degrees in infectious-disease epidemiology, her work integrates molecular and serological diagnostics, GIS mapping and biostatistics to understand how climate change is reshaping tick-borne and other vector-borne pathogens in small-ruminant systems. 

Dr. Khbou has published widely—most recently on serological evidence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in Tunisian livestock—and contributes to regional One Health dialogues. Her current projects, run through the Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Zoonoses and Sanitary Regulation, support national surveillance and training programs aimed at reducing the public-health and economic burden of emerging animal diseases.

Dr. Laure Weber Vintzel

Senior Livestock Specialist, The World Bank

Dr. Laure Weber-Vintzel is a Senior Livestock Specialist at the World Bank Group,

Where she provides technical support for sustainable livestock-sector analytics and operations that improve productivity, strengthen pandemic-prevention systems, contribute mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change. Veterinarian with a master’s in animal production, she spent almost two decades with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), working in various positions both in Headquarters and Southeast Asia. 

Her expertise includes animal health, surveillance and information systems, control and eradication strategy of transboundary animal diseases, AMR, crisis management, international standards setting, implementation and monitoring, evaluation of health systems, and of course One Health.

Mr. Wassim Belarbi

Master of Ceremonies

Wassim Belarbi is a Tunisian broadcast-journalist and event host best known for anchoring the morning economics show “Espresso” on Express FM, the country’s leading business radio station.

A trilingual moderator, he began his media career at the Radio Tunis (Chaîne Internationale) and the national TV before moving to Express FM, where his interviews with ministers, entrepreneurs and international partners have made him a familiar voice on Tunisian airwaves.

Over the past decade Belarbi has chaired high-level forums that bridge government, multilateral institutions and the private sector, including the World Bank “Changing Nature of Work” dialogue, the Tunisia Investment Forum 2024, and the EU–Tunisia Business Forum. He will also serve as Master of Ceremonies for the One Health MENA Conference 2025, guiding ministerial panels and plenary sessions.

Dr. Abderrazak Bouzouita

Director General, Ministry of Health

Dr. Abderrazak Bouzouita has directed Tunisia’s General Directorate of Health since October 2021, steering nationwide reforms in digital health, service quality and workforce deployment while overseeing a US $11.5 billion project portfolio.  

A Professor of Urology at Charles Nicolle University Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, Dr. Bouzouita previously headed medical research at the Ministry of Health and pioneered electronic medical-record pilots that now underpin Tunisia’s E-health strategy.

He represents Tunisia in global health diplomacy—signing the country’s ICARS Mission Partnership on antimicrobial resistance, co-hosting US–Tunisia governance roundtables, and championing One Health collaboration. A regular speaker at regional tele-health forums and digital-health summits, he advocates for expanded pharmacist roles and equitable specialist coverage in interior governorates.

Dr. Rachid Bouguedour

Sub-Regional Representative for North Africa, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)

Dr. Rachid Bouguedour has headed the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) Sub-Regional Representation for North Africa since 2012, coordinating animal-health programs across Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia from the Tunis office.

An Algerian veterinarian, he previously served as Director-General of Veterinary Services and WOAH Delegate for Algeria, roles that earned him election to the Organization’s Council.  In his current position, he steers regional surveillance networks such as REMESA and chairs workshops on rabies, bluetongue and other transboundary diseases.

Dr. Sina Haj Amor

Director of International Cooperations, Ministry of Health

Dr. Sina Haj Amor is Tunisia’s Director-General for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Health, a role she assumed in 2022 after completing a Hubert H.

Humphrey Fellowship at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health (2021–22). She leads the country’s health-diplomacy agenda, heading Tunisia’s delegation to the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Committee and brokering partnerships with multilateral and bilateral donors.

In 2024, Dr. Haj Amor was elected the first-ever female Chair of the Regional Technical Advisory Committee (ReTAC) for North Africa, an Africa CDC platform that coordinates joint public-health action across the Maghreb.  A family physician by training, she has delivered national infection-control training during COVID-19 and continues to apply clinical insights to international cooperation. Dr. Haj Amor’s scholarly work focuses on health financing and universal health coverage; her analyses of Tunisia’s healthcare expenditure have been published in the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal.

Prof. Yasmine Belkaid

President, Paris Pasteur Institute, France

Professor Yasmine Belkaid has led Paris Pasteur Institute as its President since January 2024 and heads its Metaorganism Laboratory, steering research on host–microbiome interactions, immunity and infection.  Before returning to Pasteur, the Algerian-born immunologist spent two decades at the U.S.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, where she founded and directed the NIAID Microbiome Program, chaired the Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome and directed the trans-NIH Center for Human Immunology. Her work has revealed how commensal microbes and diet shape tissue homeostasis and immune protection, and how infections influence maternal-child health.

Prof. Belkaid holds an MSc in Biochemistry from the University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene (Algiers) and a PhD from Pasteur Institute. Elected to the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine, she has received the Lurie Prize, Emil von Behring Prize, Sanofi–Institut Pasteur Award, Robert Koch Award and AAI Excellence in Mentoring Award.

Prof. Hechmi Louzir

Professor of Medicine and Immunology, Former Director General of the Pasteur Institute of Tunis

Professor Hechmi Louzir is a physician and immunologist, and the former Director General of the Pasteur Institute of Tunis (2007–2023).

A graduate of the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis and former intern at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, he has led major research programs on host-pathogen interactions and contributed significantly to the teaching of immunology in Tunisia. He is the author of nearly 90 scientific publications and several patents and has coordinated over 30 international research projects.

Professor Louzir played a leading role in Tunisia’s COVID-19 response, chairing the national Scientific Vaccination Committee and overseeing the country’s vaccination campaign. He has held senior positions within the international Pasteur Network and currently serves on The Lancet Commission on 21st-Century Threats to Global Health. He is also Chairman of the Scientific and Strategic Board of ABI (Applied Biotech & Innovation), a company dedicated to transforming scientific discoveries into practical solutions in the fields of biotechnology and healthcare.

Dr. Priya Basu

Executive Head, Pandemic Fund

Priya Basu is the Executive Head of the Pandemic Fund hosted by the World Bank. Prior to this, Priya served as head of the COVID-19 task force at the World Bank and led the Bank’s engagement on pandemic prevention,

preparedness, and response in global fora, including the G20 and G7 – coordinating across finance and health. In previous roles, she managed a $21bn portfolio of Financial Intermediary Funds and trust funds administered by the Bank to support partnerships around global priorities – such as financial inclusion, global health security, climate change, and debt relief, served as the inaugural head of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, and was the Bank’s Lead financial economist for India. 

In a career spanning three decades, Priya has successfully managed complex engagements across regions to solve country-level development challenges. Before joining the Bank, Basu worked in London investment banking and held economist positions at the IMF, Asian Development Bank, UNCTAD and ILO. 

She is the author of three books on financial-sector resilience and inclusion. Basu earned a BA (Hons) in Economics from St Stephen’s College, Delhi University, and both PPE and MSc degrees in Development Economics from Oxford University.

Dr. Tareq Ahmed Mohamed Alameri

Chairman, UAE Aid Agency

Dr. Tareq Ahmed Mohamed Al Ameri currently serves as the Chairman of the UAE Aid Agency.

Before that, Dr. Al Ameri was the Director of the Office of Development Affairs at the Presidential Court. With a stellar academic and professional background, he has held prominent leadership roles, including Executive Director at the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, the General Secretariat of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, and the Ministry of Interior. 

Dr. Al Ameri holds a PhD in “Process Systems Engineering” from Imperial College London, a Master of Business Administration from Abu Dhabi University, and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and process systems engineering from Washington University in Saint Louis, USA.

Dr. Wahib Mehri

Director General, General Directorate of Veterinary Services

Dr. Wahib Mehri has been Tunisia’s Director-General of Veterinary Services (DGSV)—and Chief Veterinary Officer—since his presidential appointment on 24 February 2025.

In this capacity, he heads national policy on animal health and food-chain safety, represents Tunisia at the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), and is steering a 2025-30 livestock-health strategy that emphasizes biosecurity, disease surveillance and One Health collaborations. 

A veterinary inspector-general by rank, Dr. Mehri previously ran the Animal Production Division in Sousse (2018), leading bluetongue-control campaigns in central Tunisia. Beyond government service, Dr. Mehri is an active researcher—his early work on antimicrobial-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Tunisian poultry and pets is widely cited.

Mr. Sami Dimassi

Regional Director and Representative, Regional Office for West Asia, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Sami Dimassi has headed the United Nations Environment Programme’s Regional Office for West Asia as Director and Regional Representative since 2017.

A Lebanese Canadian manager with more than 20 years’ experience in multilateral affairs, he has also served UNEP as Senior ICT Advisor, 

Head of the Innovation Branch, Deputy Director of the Science Division, Director for Private-Sector Engagement and Acting Director of Corporate Services. His portfolio spans climate action, policy reform, strategy design and partnerships that bring the private sector into regional environmental work. Dimassi holds a BSc in Information Technology from the University of Ottawa and an MSc in Management from the University of Waterloo.

Dr. Hanan Balkhy

Regional Director, Eastern Mediterranean, World Health Organization (WHO)

Dr. Dr. Hanan Balkhy has served as the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean since 1 February 2024.

Her agenda is centered on five goals: ensuring equitable access to care for hard-to-reach populations; boosting country capacities to meet health emergencies driven by climate change, pandemics, conflict and disasters; strengthening public-health services for prevention and health promotion; widening partnerships for financing and knowledge-sharing; and enhancing the influence and agility of WHO’s regional and country offices.

An expert in infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance, Dr. Balkhy was previously WHO Assistant Director-General for Antimicrobial Resistance. Earlier she headed Infection Prevention and Control at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of National Guard, directing the Gulf Cooperation Council Centre for Infection Control and a WHO Collaborating Centre on infection prevention and antimicrobial resistance. 

A graduate of King Abdulaziz University (Saudi Arabia), she completed a pediatrics residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and a pediatric infectious-diseases fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Case Western Reserve University in the USA.

Dr. Hakim El Waer

Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Near East and North Africa, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Dr. AbdulHakim Elwaer is the Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),

where he guides country and regional initiatives on climate-smart agriculture, water and food security, and resilient rural livelihoods across 20 member states. A former Libyan Minister of Environment and President of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (2004–06), Dr. Elwaer went on to join the African Union Commission,

first as Director for Human Resources, Science and Technology (2007) and later as Director for Administration and Human Resources Management (2009), overseeing the launch of several continent-wide science and education institutions. From 2014 to 2017, he served the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah as Director for Cooperation, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization, G20 Sherpa and spokesperson, shaping global advocacy and financing for sustainable development.

Dr. Elwaer holds a PhD in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Sheffield (UK), a postgraduate diploma in Organizational Leadership from the Gestalt Center (USA) and a BSc in Environmental Engineering from the University of Sabha (Libya).

Dr. Ahmadou Moustapha Ndiaye

Division Director for the Maghreb and Malta, The World Bank

Ahmadou Moustapha Ndiaye has served as the World Bank’s Country Director for the Maghreb and Malta since 1 July 2024,

Managing a USD 11.5 billion portfolio and shaping partnerships that advance inclusive growth, private-sector job creation, climate resilience, critical-infrastructure access and human-capital development—especially for women and youth—in Algeria, Libya, Malta, Morocco and Tunisia.

A certified public accountant with 34 years’ professional experience, Ndiaye joined the Bank in 1998 and most recently directed Strategy and Operations for Equitable Finance and Inclusive Growth. Earlier posts span operational and leadership roles across Africa, Latin America, Europe and Central Asia. Prior to the World Bank, he was a manager at Ernst and Young Senegal, advising corporate clients on restructuring, finance and valuation.

Ndiaye holds a master’s degree in finance, accounting and business administration from ESCP Business School (France).

Dr. Amina Benyahia

Head a.i., One Health Initiative, World Health Organization (WHO)

Dr. Amina Benyahia is currently the Head a.i. of the WHO One Health Initiative

Where she leads, inter alia, the coordination and management of the Quadripartite secretariat, the development and implementation of the One Health Joint Plan of Action, the scientific advice of the One Health High Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP) and the provision of strategic and coordinated use of the One Health approach in the Organization’s work, including the strengthening of One Health governance at all levels.

She has been working in global health with the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2002. Her twenty-two years of global health activities include extensive experience in communicable diseases preparedness and response under the international Regulation framework (IHR 2005), foodborne AMR, food safety, One Health, and multi-stakeholder partnerships

Dr. Julie Garnier

Co-Founder and Trustee, Odyssey Conservation Trust

Julie Garnier (Dr Vre, D.Vet.Med., MRCVS) is a leading One Health expert practitioner, and veterinarian with over 25-year experience in pioneering community-based One Health programs combining biodiversity and ecosystem regeneration with a gender-responsive OH approach.

She co-founded the Odyssey Conservation Trust with a small group of One Health practitioners to operationalize a One Health in Action approach by empowering vulnerable communities and especially women in threatened ecosystems. One Health In Action innovative approach stems from two decades of hands-on-work with some of Africa’s most remote and marginalized communities, where she co-created pioneering transformative programs with multiple stakeholders including private sector, leading to the creation of some of the first Hope Spots for the planet. 

The Odyssey Conservation Trust is now operationalizing this unique gender-responsive One Health approach in other threatened ecosystems and landscapes across the globe by creating multiple stakeholders partnerships including private sector, developing unique training programs for all stakeholders and by creating One Health solutions to foster the health and resilience of all. Julie earned the Femme en Or for the Environment award and is an active member of multiple international One Health networks.

Dr. Yosr Allouche

Director General, International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR)

Dr-Ing. Yosr Allouche is the Director General of the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR). She holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Porto and has over 15 years of experience in the refrigeration sector.

She stood out as a research scientist in refrigeration technology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), where she was also serving as an Associate Professor in Refrigeration technologies. 

Dr. Allouche has authored an impressive number of publications in high impact factor scientific journals, scientific guides and reports. Elected as Director General of the IIR during the 26th International Congress of Refrigeration in August 2023 in Paris, she officially assumed office on October 1, 2024. 

Dr. Allouche is committed to advancing sustainable and climate-friendly refrigeration technologies, while reinforcing the role of science in policymaking and industrial innovation. 

A key priority of her mandate is also to support strengthening international cooperation by building bridges between countries, institutions, and stakeholders to foster knowledge exchange on refrigeration, capacity building, and inclusive access to refrigeration solutions worldwide.

Dr. David Wilson

Program Director, Health, Nutrition and Population, The World Bank

David has worked for the World Bank for about 25 years, including 12 years as Programme Director in the Health, Nutrition and Population Practice.

He was recently Team Leader of the World Bank’s COVID-19 project, the largest in the World Bank’s history. 

He also established and led the World Bank’s Health Preparedness and Emergency Response Trust Fund. He previously led both the Health Practice and the wider Human Development Network’s work on Data Science and Technological Innovation. He also led and coordinated all the Global Solutions Groups in the Health, Nutrition and Population Practice and led a specialized Global Solutions Group on Decision and Delivery Science. 

David has worked in approximately 70 countries on all continents, including 28 countries in Africa and many fragile and conflict settings in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific. He has published approximately 150 scientific papers and given over 1,000 scientific addresses.

Dr. Nicola D’Alterio

Director General, IZS Teramo

Nicola D’Alterio, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, is the General Director of the IZS-Teramo, Italy, a public health institute which conducts veterinary public health activities aiming at protecting human, animal, and environmental health.

He strongly promotes the One Health approach at national and international levels, to fight zoonosis and antimicrobial-resistance.  Dr. D’Alterio is the promoter of the “One Health Award” event held from 2022 on, in Teramo and he is the editor in chief of the “One Health Journal”.

Dr. Paolo Tizzani

Senior Veterinary Epidemiologist, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)

Dr. Paolo Tizzani is a veterinarian, graduated in 2000. From 2001 to 2015 he worked at the University of Turin (Italy).

His research has mainly focused on the ecology and epidemiology of wildlife diseases. He obtained his PhD in Parasitology in 2007. From 2010 to 2015 he worked in EU-funded projects on the control of infectious animal diseases. Dr. Tizzani joined the World Organisation for Animal Health in 2015 as a Veterinary Epidemiologist. 

His activities include epidemiological analysis of the global animal health situation, and epidemic intelligence to improve early detection and response to animal health threats.

Dr. Emmanuelle Soubeyran

Director General, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)

Dr. Emmanuelle Soubeyran is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine specialist in veterinary public health, crisis management, and the One Health approach.

She was elected Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health in May 2024. Before this role, she served as the Head of the French Veterinary Services from 2021 to 2024 and as the Director General of VetAgroSup from 2016 to 2021.

Dr. Chadia Wannous

One Health Senior Specialist and Global Coordinator, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)

Dr. Wannous is the One Health Senior Specialist and Global Coordinator at the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

Her work centers on preventing and reducing the risk of health threats at the human-animal-environment interface through the One Health approach. Her focus includes addressing zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, and drivers of risk, including climate change and biodiversity loss.

Prior to joining WOAH, Dr. Wannous had extensive experience working within the UN System, specializing in health emergencies prevention, preparedness, and response. She served as the Senior Policy Advisor to the UN Special Envoy on the Ebola response in West Africa and to the UN System Influenza Coordination. Dr. Wannous also led the Toward a Safer World Network for Pandemic Preparedness, coordinated the health aspects of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and coordinated its Science and Technology Partnership.

Dr. Wannous is an active member of several prominent Steering Committees, including the Future Earth Health Knowledge Network, the International Alliance Against Health Risks in Wildlife Trade, and the Council of the International Society of Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Wannous is a public health expert with a PhD in International Health and Development from Tulane University, USA, and a Master of Science in Health Research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Dr. Francesco Valentini

Programme Officer, Sub-Regional Representation for North Africa, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)

Francesco Valentini is a DVM working in the WOAH Sub-Regional Representation for North Africa
in Tunis since October 2022.

He holds a post-graduate degree in Animal Health, Livestock Farming and Animal Production and an Advanced Course in Wildlife Management, Conservation Medicine and Public Health. After graduation he won two research grants with Italian research institutes and universities.

His role within WOAH is to promote, plan and conduct the activities of Representation and to provide WOAH members with appropriately adapted local services in order to strengthen veterinary and public health in the region.

In the last year, he has been responsible for the coordination of the Regional Quadripartite One Health Coordination Group (OH-CG) for the Near & Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Mediterranean Region (MENA).

Pr. Ouafaa Fassi Fihri

Specialit in virology and immunology at University of Montreal, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Saint-Hyacinthe

Prof. Ouafaa Fassi Fihri is a DVM from IAV Hassan II. Then, she joined the University of Montreal, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Saint-Hyacinthe for a speciality in virology and immunology.

She obtained her PhD in 1995 and since then she has been involved in research projects on viral infectious diseases with several international partners in Europe and Africa.

She was Director of Scientific Research and Doctoral Training at IAV Hassan II and Director of the same establishment from 2014 to 2017. She won the 1st prize of the Grand Prix Hassan II for Agriculture with her research team, category Advanced Sciences and Technologies, on a project entitled “an edifying experience of 10 years: integrated control against rabies in Morocco according to the One Health concept ». In November 2019, with her colleagues, they will create the “One Health Maroc” Association.

Dr. Mohammed Bengoumi

Regional Animal Production and Health Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Mohammed Bengoumi graduated as DVM, he holds a Master degree on Quality of the Products and a PhD in Animal Science.

Before joining FAO as regional Production and Health Officer in 2008, he worked as Professor in the agronomic and veterinary Institute in Morocco. 

He has more than 35 years’ experience in Animal Production and Health with more than 100 scientific publications in indexed scientific journals and more than 250 communications in conferences. He is a member of scientific or editorial board committees for several scientific journals. He is affiliated to several scientific associations.

Dr. Fadia Saadah

Regional Practice Director for Human Development in Middle East and North Africa Region

Dr. Fadia Saadah is currently the Regional Practice Director for Human Development in Middle East and North Africa Region. Throughout a more than 30-year career at the World Bank,

she has held various leadership positions, including Regional Director for Human Development in Europe and Central Asia Region; Director of the Global Practice for Health, Nutrition, and Population; and Manager at Operational Policy and Country Services.

Dr. Saadah holds a Master’s degree in Biostatistics and a PhD in Population Studies from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA, and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health and a Master’s degree in Epidemiology from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

Prof. Mohamed Gharbi

Professor, National School of Veterinary Medicine, Sidi Thabet

DVM, Mohamed Gharbi is professor in veterinary parasitology at École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet, Tunisie since 2002. 

MSC in molecular biology from Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Tunisie and PhD from Institut Polytechnique de Toulouse, France). 

He published more than 160 peer-reviewed papers in international journals and reviewed 160 manuscripts for 35 national and international journals. Member of the editorial board of Veterinary Medicine and Science (Éd. Wiley) and Preventive Veterinary Medicine (Éd. Elsevier). Co-editor in chief of Bulletin de l’Académie Vétérinaire de France. Member of the French veterinary Academy. Mohamed published 9 pocket books in arasitology.

Dr. Mohannad Al Nsour

Executive Director, Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET)

Dr. Mohannad Al Nsour is a medical doctor and an internationally recognized expert in field epidemiology, operational research, and public health systems, and a fellow through distinction with The Faculty of Public Health at UK (FPH).

Dr. Al Nsour assumed several positions such as a notable researcher, advisor, and director during his career path. He also served as a consultant on several assignments with international entities.

Dr. Al Nsour has been leading the Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) since 2009, by providing strategic assistance and operational solutions, and guiding the enrichment of Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETPs) and public health initiatives in the region. Under Dr. Al Nsour’s leadership, EMPHNET emerged as a prominent collaborative platform to serve the region and support national efforts to promote public health policies, applied epidemiology, surveillance, International Health Regulations (IHR), resource mobilization, and public health program development among others.

Dr. Al Nsour is a lecturer and speaker at regional and international levels covering public health topics such as leadership, field epidemiology, delivering evidence-based recommendations, creating new opportunities, and being a catalyst for change. Some of his areas of expertise are
infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases (NCD), and global health.

Dr. Al Nsour serves on several regional and global initiatives, associations, and networks as he is the Chair of the Steering Committee for the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), having previously served for two and half years as the Committee’s Deputy Chair. Dr. Al Nsour is a member of the Global Health Emergency Corps (GHEC) Design Group and an expert Member of the International Health Regulations (2005) Review Committee to update updating IHR amendments and Standing Recommendations for COVID-19 and mpox. He also serves on the Lancet’s Advisory Committee for the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health (CHH)-Lancet Commission on Health, Conflict, and Forced Displacement and Commission on Evidence-based Implementation in Global Health Advisory Group, among others.

He has co-authored 70 peer reviewed publications that primarily focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mental health, field epidemiology, and health systems and policy. These include original research, population-based surveys, epidemiological studies, multi-country studies,
systematic analyses, perspectives, teaching case studies, scoping reviews, and evaluations. He has also contributed to booklets and textbooks and is a co-author of the textbook Synopsis in General Epidemiology.
Dr. Al Nsour is also the founder of the International Academy of Public Health (IAPH).

Dr. Ekhlas Hailat

One Health and Zoonotic Disease Specialist, MENA Representative, One Health High-Level Expert Panel

Dr Ekhlas Hailat, She is a dedicated One Health and Veterinary Public Health Specialist with more than 20 years of experience (Governmental and Non- Governmental) in detecting, preventing, and responding to emerging and re-emerging diseases. 

She has extensive expertise in implementing projects related to infectious diseases, biosafety, and biosecurity, as well as in monitoring and surveillance of these projects across multiple countries, including Jordan, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Libya, and Bangladesh. 

She is an expert in the Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS), Joint External Evaluation (JEE) Roster of Experts, a member of the (GDG) Traditional Food Markets, GDG for Malaria Vector Control. In 2024, she is a member of the Quadripartite’s One Health High Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP).

Dr. Lujain Alqodmani

Immediate Past President, World Medical Association (WMA)

Dr. Lujain Alqodmani is the Immediate Past President of the World Medical Association, 

an organisation that represents over 10 million physicians. She is currently the Health Professional Networks Lead of Health Care Without Harm. 

She served at several prestigious organizations, including EAT, the International Federation of Medical Students Association and Women in Global Health. 

She is an emergency physician specialised in global health management, policy and economics. She is an expert in sustainable food systems and climate and health global policy.

Prof. Maria Elena Bottazzi

Senior Associate Dean, National School of Tropical Medicine; Co-Director, Baylor College of Medicine

Professor Maria Elena Bottazzi is Senior Associate Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, where she co-directs the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development in Houston.

An internationally recognized vaccinologist, she applies the product-development-partnership model to neglected-tropical-disease vaccines, having steered several candidates from the bench to Phase 2 clinical trials while building sustainable biotech capacity in low-resource settings. 

A Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and an Emerging Leader in Health & Medicine of the U.S. National Academies, Professor Bottazzi has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed papers, spoken at 200+ conferences and serves on the NAS study committee on strengthening foreign regulatory systems. 

Born in Italy and raised in Honduras, she earned a BSc in Microbiology and Clinical Chemistry from the National Autonomous University of Honduras, a PhD in Molecular Immunology and Experimental Pathology from the University of Florida and completed post-doctoral training in cell biology at the Universities of Miami and Pennsylvania.

Dr. Philippe Eggimann

Vice-President, Swiss Medical Association

Dr. Philippe Eggimann is attending at CHUV in Lausanne, Switzerland (https://www.chuv.ch/).

Board certified in internal medicine, infectious diseases, and intensive care, and he has over 30
years of clinical experience. 

He focuses on improving care for critically ill patients, notably in sepsis biomarkers, catheter-related infection prevention, invasive candidiasis, and targeted immunotherapy. (H-index 43) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Philippe_Eggimann. 

He also serves as vice-president of the Swiss Medical Association (www.fmh.ch).

Dr. Geeta Sethi

Advisor and Global Lead for Food Systems, The World Bank

Geeta Sethi is the Advisor and Global Lead for Food Systems at the World Bank. 

She is managing the World Bank’s program on Food Loss and Waste Reduction. More recently, she leads the One Health and Sustainable Livestock sector for the World Bank. 

She has more than 20 years of experience working as an economist in fragile, low-, and middle-income countries. Her work has focused on issues of rural development, service delivery, and intergovernmental fiscal policies around the world. 

She has delivered many lending programs to the World Bank Board as well as published books and articles in referred journals on issues relating to rural labor markets, trade policy and fiscal decentralization. 

Previously, she was the Chief of Staff to the Climate Change Vice President and Special Envoy, the Operations and Strategy Manger for Climate Change, and worked as the Program Manager for the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program. She has an MBA and a PhD in Economics.

Dr. Shobha Shetty

Global Director, Agriculture and Food, The Workd Bank

Shobha Shetty is the World Bank’s Global Director for Agriculture and Food Global Practice.

An agricultural economist with a PhD and MSc from Cornell University (after a BEng in electrical engineering from Anna University, India), she has led agriculture and food portfolios in both Africa and South Asia, and previously managed global partnerships and resource-mobilization for the Bank’s Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience practice. 

Earlier postings in East Asia and the Pacific, Middle East and North Africa underpin her broad expertise in irrigation and water management, digital agriculture, jobs in agrifood systems, women’s economic empowerment, nutrition, and climate-resilient agriculture. 

She has also been a visiting fellow at Cornell’s Tata-Cornell Agriculture & Nutrition Initiative and at the CGIAR’ s International Water Management Institute. 

H.E. Khaled Nouri

Minister of Interior Affairs

H.E. Khaled Nouri has been Tunisia’s Minister of Interior Affairs since 25 May 2024.

A trained jurist, he earned a degree in Private Law from the University of Sousse, followed by a postgraduate diploma from the Higher Institute of Magistracy and the Certificate of Aptitude to the Legal Profession (CAPA).

Prior to joining the Cabinet, he headed the State Litigation Directorate and served as Governor of Ariana from 2022 to 2024.

In his current role, Minister Nouri focuses on public security, border management and the modernization of internal affairs services.

H.E. Habib Abid

Minister of Environment, Government of Tunisia

H.E. Habib Abid has been Tunisia’s Minister of Environment since 25 August 2024.

Born in Sfax in 1960, he is an engineer of water and forests with a PhD in environmental sciences.

Before joining the government, Minister Abid headed the General Directorate of Forests at the Ministry of Agriculture from 2016 to 2024 and also served as an international climate change expert for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2017.

As Minister, he is driving initiatives on climate-resilient land management, biodiversity restoration and circular-economy reforms.

H.E. Ezzeddine Ben Cheikh

Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Maritime Fisheries, Government of Tunisia

H.E. Ezzeddine Ben Cheikh has served as Tunisia’s Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Maritime Fisheries since 25 August 2024.

A civil engineer by training, he earned his National Engineering Diploma from the National Engineering School of Tunis in 1990 and then a postgraduate degree in Hydraulic and Environmental Modelling from the same school in 2001.

Before joining the Cabinet, Minister Ben Cheikh spent almost 30 years with the state water-utility SECADENORD, rising from Operations Director to Chief Executive in 2019, where he oversaw major canal and water-supply projects.

As Minister, he now leads national efforts on water security, climate-resilient agriculture and modernizing agri-food value chains.

H.E. Mustapha Ferjani 

Minister of Health, Government of Tunisia (President of the Conference)

H.E. Dr Mustapha Ferjani has been Tunisia’s Minister of Health since 25 August 2024.

A career military medical doctor and anesthesiologist, he earned his Medical Degree from the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis in 1987, specialized in Anesthesia-Resuscitation in 1992, and became an associate professor in 2022.

Dr. Ferjani headed the anesthesia department at Tunis Military Hospital (2003) and later served as Director-General of Military Health (2017) before joining the President’s office as a senior advisor.

As minister, he is prioritizing the digitalization of hospital medicine stocks, rebuilding aging facilities, and creating incentives to retain the healthcare workforce.