Partners, Colleagues and Friends,
A good morning to you all.
I am pleased to join you today for the opening of this Regional Webinar Series marking World Blood Donor Day 2025. The theme this year, as you know, is “Give Blood, Give Hope: Together We Save Lives.”
Voluntary non-remunerated blood donations — or VNRDs — are the cornerstone of strong national blood transfusion services. They are acts of solidarity, compassion, and selflessness.
VNRDs save lives every day —during childbirth, surgery, cancer treatment, emergencies, or chronic conditions like thalassemia and sickle cell disease.
Yet, despite progress, many countries in our region continue to face challenges ensuring a safe, sufficient, and timely supply of blood. The demand is constant, but the supply depends on voluntary donors and the strength of national systems to collect, test, store, and distribute appropriately.
During this webinar series, we will hear stories of innovation, dedication, and country-level successes. These achievements include promoting VNRDs, improving transfusion practices, and integrating blood safety into patient safety and health system resilience agendas.
This is also the moment to renew our collective commitment to zero avoidable harm, and to make blood safety a visible priority in national health agendas.
I encourage all of you to actively participate, share your experiences, and learn from one another.
Before I close, I would like to take a moment to thank all voluntary donors, our global and regional partners, our colleagues, and WHO Collaborating Centers for their tireless efforts and collaboration.
Together, let us continue to advocate, innovate, and act — to ensure that every patient in need receives blood safely, promptly, and without financial or social barriers.
I wish the webinar series every success and look forward to the discussions ahead.
Thank you.