The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) hosted the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Tech Task Force Forum for the first time in the Middle East from November 22–23, 2025. The gathering brought together global leaders and specialists in electronic gaming, digital trust, artificial intelligence, health misinformation, and digital wellbeing.
According to an Ithra press release, the event was organized in partnership between Sync — Ithra’s Digital Wellbeing Program — and the WHO, continuing an initiative first launched by the WHO Foundation in Silicon Valley in 2019. This marks the forum’s first edition in the region and underscores Saudi Arabia’s expanding role in global digital health innovation and international collaboration.
Digital Wellbeing
The event opened with the signing of an international memorandum of understanding between Sync and the WHO Foundation. Additionally, this agreement reinforces the Kingdom’s position as a global hub for digital wellbeing and supports WHO Foundation efforts to promote WHO’s scientific work and digital health guidelines through education and responsible communication.
Acting Director of Ithra, Mussab Al Saaran, welcomed participants by emphasizing the human-centered purpose of technology. He highlighted that hosting the forum reflects Ithra’s commitment to ensuring technology aligns with human values, builds digital trust, and addresses evolving challenges such as gaming-related misinformation.
Global Partnerships
The forum featured remarks from Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, who stressed Sync’s role in fostering responsible gaming and digital health. Moreover, a video message from WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reaffirmed the importance of the Kingdom’s leadership in advancing global digital wellbeing.
WHO Regional Director Dr. Hanan Balkhy highlighted the forum as a milestone for digital transformation in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, emphasizing the need for ethical and regionally aligned solutions.
Interactive sessions overseen by Sync and WHO launched two major task forces led by Saudi experts. The first, Gaming for Human Connection and Wellbeing, focuses on how gaming can support mental and physical health. The second, Health Misinformation and Digital Trust, aims to combat misleading health information and strengthen public confidence in digital content.
Sync head Dr. Fahad Al Beyahi described the forum as a turning point toward impactful action, while WHO Foundation Chief Development Officer Valerie Boulet reaffirmed digital wellbeing as a core component of public health.
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