Day: May 31, 2025

Elected chairman of the Executive Board was Australia

The board’s new officials will hold office until mid-2028

 Saudi Arabia was elected Friday as vice chair of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Executive Board for the 2025–2028 term.

The election was held during the board’s first meeting of its 57th session in Geneva following the conclusion of the 78th session of the World Health Assembly.

Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the session was led by Rakan Khalid Bin Dohaish, Ministry of Health undersecretary for international cooperation, reporesenting Health Minister Fahad Al-Jalajel, SPA reported.

Composed of 34 members from various member states, the WHO Executive Board is responsible for implementing the resolutions and recommendations of the World Health Assembly — the supreme decision-making body of the WHO. The Executive Board oversees priority health programs and policies at both regional and international levels.

Elected chairman of the Executive Board was Australia, represented by Blair Comley, secretary of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. 

Also elected to the Board’s three other vice chair positions were Norway, Togo and Thailand.

A statement by the Saudi delegation, quoted by SPA, said the Kingdom’s election to the WHO Executive Board underscores “the growing international confidence in the Kingdom’s leadership and its significant role in advancing global public health.”

According to the WHO, Saudi Arabia has since 2018 consistently supported the organization, contributing over $385 million to global health initiatives and emergency-related operations in various countries including the occupied Palestinian territories, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Iraq, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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Rakan Khalid Bin Dohaish, Saudi health undersecretary for international cooperation, attending the WHO Executive Board meeting in Geneva on Friday. (SPA)

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SAUDI ARABIA

The sacred site has been documented meticulously by historians and travelers

With an elevation of 1,084 meters, the mountain commands sweeping views across the surrounding plains

Rising from the landscape north of Madinah, Mount Al-Fahlatain has served as a geographical beacon and spiritual waypoint for more than a thousand years.

The landmark, on the historic route to AlUla, bears witness to one of Islam’s most significant military expeditions — the Prophet Muhammad’s journey to Tabuk in 9 A.H.

The mountain’s name tells its own story. Two colossal rocks crown its summit, their silhouette resembling the horns of a bull — “fahl” in Arabic, giving rise to “Al-Fahlatain,” or “the two bulls.”

The sacred site has been documented meticulously by historians and travelers.

Ali Al-Samhudi’s work, “Wafa Al-Wafa Bi Akhbar Dar Al-Mustafa,” places the location precisely one day’s march from Madinah, describing twin peaks sheltering underlying rock formations. Firuzabadi reinforced its historical significance in “Al-Maghanim Al-Mutaba fi Ma’alim Taba,” cataloging it among the landmarks witnessed by the Prophet’s army on their way to Tabuk.

Mohammed Ibn Abdullah Al-Mawlawi provided additional detail in “Rihlat Al-Shita Wa Al-Sayf,” positioning the twin peaks on the mountain’s western flank alongside the main thoroughfare. Al-Suwaidi offered an alternative etymology in “Al-Nafha Al-Miskiyya Fi Al-Rihla Al-Makkiyya,” suggesting the name reflects the mountain’s solitary stance in the landscape, isolated like a bull among grazing camels.

Historian and Islamic history researcher Fouad Al-Maghamsi identifies Mount Al-Fahlatain — sometimes called Faifa Al-Fahlatain — as strategically positioned near Shajwa village, northwest of Madinah.

With an elevation of 1,084 meters, the mountain commands sweeping views across the surrounding plains, bordered by complementary ridges and highlands.

Al-Maghamsi said the site functioned as a vital rest station along the Syrian Hajj route, known as Darb Al-Hajj Al-Shami, earning local appellations including “Antar’s Fortress” and “Antar’s Stable.”

Archaeological evidence such as building foundations and service facilities suggests a sophisticated infrastructure designed to support the thousands of pilgrims and merchants who annually traversed these routes.

The Syrian Hajj route encompasses diverse terrain rich with sites linked to prophetic biography and pilgrimage heritage.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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With an elevation of 1,084 meters, the mountain commands sweeping views across the surrounding plains. (SPA)

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SAUDI ARABIA