Ethiopia has secured World Health Organization classification for its national emergency medical team, according to a WHO Africa statement issued in Addis Ababa on 15 September. WHO describes the result as the first international classification of a civilian medical team in the African Region, alongside Senegal’s already classified military team.

Emergency Medical Teams are groups of health workers prepared to deploy quickly in disasters, outbreaks or other emergencies. The verification covered governance, clinical services, logistics, information management, infection prevention, water and sanitation (WASH) and operational readiness. Earlier exercises tested the ability to set up a working field hospital.

Classification certifies that the team has been assessed against the global EMT initiative’s standards. It does not mean WHO takes command of the team or that it will be permanently deployed abroad. It strengthens domestic response and can support regional cooperation.

The Ministry of Health and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute led the effort, with WHO technical support. Partners named include UK-Med, the UK FCDO, ECHO and the EMT Network. The team has already been mobilised inside Ethiopia, including after the Gamo Zone landslide.

The process examines whether the team can meet standards on personnel, equipment, logistics, patient safety and the ability to operate autonomously in an affected area. It does not replace the national health system; it is meant to complement it in emergencies.

The result comes ahead of the 7th Global Emergency Medical Teams Meeting, scheduled in Addis Ababa from 3 to 5 November 2026, the first time the gathering is hosted in the WHO African Region. Thirty countries are now developing national teams under the regional EMT framework for 2026–2030.

Image: Pegel05, Addis Ababa, 2 February 2019. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not a photograph of the WHO ceremony. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: WHO Africa — Ethiopia achieves historic WHO verification of national Emergency Medical Team.