Regional Committee for Europe
Regional Committee opens in Azerbaijan
Photo: WHO
Ministers and representatives from the 53 countries of the WHO European Region are in Baku, Azerbaijan from 12–15 September 2011 for the sixty-first session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe.
The session is webcast.
Press conference
Before the session, Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, and Elsevar Agayev, Deputy Minister of Health in Azerbaijan, briefed Azeri journalists from around 20 news agencies at a press conference on 9 September 2011. Ms Jakab outlined the main issues to be discussed at this year’s session: the new European health policy, Health 2020; action plans on noncommunicable diseases, alcohol, HIV/AIDS, drug-resistant tuberculosis and antibiotic resistance; WHO reform; intersectoral action for health; health systems strengthening; and partnerships.
Informal ministerial meeting with selected newly independent states
Ministers and high-level officials from six countries – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, Turkmenistan and Ukraine – met with WHO experts on Saturday. The meeting provided an opportunity for informal discussion and experience-sharing among countries with common interests and concerns about important global and regional topics, such as WHO reform, noncommunicable diseases, the International Health Regulations and HIV/AIDS.
The participants shared public health developments and experiences in their countries, providing positive examples including:
- the introduction of universal access to health care in the Republic of Moldova;
- a “whole-of-government” approach to health involving different ministries in Kazakhstan;
- healthy lifestyle campaigns in the mass media in Turkmenistan;
- collaboration with civil society in Ukraine to reach marginalized groups affected by HIV/AIDS;
- preparation and health risk assessment for international events such as the European Football Championships in Ukraine next year; and
- increasing access to HIV/AIDS treatment in Azerbaijan.
Ministers expressed their appreciation of the support they receive from WHO at national and regional level, and Zsuzsanna Jakab noted that WHO’s added value for countries lies in identifying policy gaps, capacity building and the Organization’s ability to bring together those with an interest in health.
Informal ministerial meeting “to change the tide” on tuberculosis
Ministers of health and high-level officials from 12 out of the 18 high-burden tuberculosis countries in the Region met on Sunday, 11 September to discuss the achievements and challenges in the governance, financing and implementation of drug-resistant tuberculosis prevention and treatment. Michel D. Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, also took part in the meeting, and pledged his commitment to tackle multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in the European Region, where it now accounts for 24% of all tuberculosis cases.
Despite the challenges, high-burden tuberculosis countries have introduced national programmes to address MDR-TB, and recognize the importance of free diagnosis and treatment that target high-risk groups, such as intravenous drug users, homeless people, prisoners, sex workers, those with HIV/AIDS, and in some cases migrants. A consolidated action plan to prevent and combat multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in the WHO European Region 2011–2015 will be discussed during the Regional Committee session on Thursday, 15 September.
Briefing for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
Representatives of seven NGOs took part in a preparatory briefing, to discuss their participation in the Regional Committee session and the forthcoming agenda. WHO/Europe will develop a partnerships strategy for next year’s session, and NGO representatives were encouraged to send and share ideas on how to further involve civil society organizations in WHO’s work.
Standing Committee of the Regional Committee
The Standing Committee of the Regional Committee met on Sunday, 11 September to review the provisional agenda and programme of the Regional Committee and make final preparations. The Regional Director informed the Standing Committee about the measures taken to avoid further flooding at the WHO/Europe offices in Copenhagen.
European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region meeting (ASPHER)
WHO/Europe and the civil society organizations EPHA and ASPHER also met on Sunday to discuss strengthening the public health workforce to champion health in all policies.
Highlights for Monday include:
- the WHO Regional Director for Europe’s opening address on the work of WHO/Europe, and the challenges ahead;
- an address by Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan;
- a discussion on the development of the new European health policy, Health 2020;
- findings from the WHO/Europe study on governance for health in the 21st century; and
- a discussion of the decisions made by the World Health Assembly in May.