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Estonia

Estonia’s Minister of Social Affairs visits WHO/Europe

03-02-2012
Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia, and Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, signing the agreement. Photo: WHO/Oluf Christoffersen

On 27 January 2012, Hanno Pevkur, the new Minister, visited WHO/Europe, meeting Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, and other senior managers.

The visit was organized to provide the Minister with a comprehensive overview of WHO/Europe’s work, and to sign the biennial collaborative agreement (BCA) between Estonia and WHO/Europe for 2012–2013.

During the meeting, the Minister and the Regional Director discussed how to further improve the excellent collaboration between Estonia and WHO. Mr Pevkur noted the importance of exchanging experience and evidence from different countries to enable them to respond better to current problems. He said, “One of the areas of collaboration that continues to be of high priority to Estonia is health-system strengthening, based on the values and commitments enshrined in the Tallinn Charter.”

Priorities in the BCA for 2012–2013 include:

  • strengthening the evidence base and governance function within the National Health Plan 2009–2020;
  • strengthening health systems and public health, including support in developing and updating public health legislation, and developing sustainable health financing in order to provide universal coverage;
  • addressing increasing levels of obesity, setting standards and good practices for marketing food and non-alcoholic beverages to children, improving the regulatory framework for tobacco and strengthening injury prevention;
  • maintaining the quality and availability of services for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, strengthening core public health capacities to implement the International Health Regulations and supporting the establishment of a chemical-safety centre; and
  • updating the Health Systems in Transition review of Estonia.