First engagement plan with non-State actors launched

WHO launched an engagement plan, developed in close consultation with non-State actors (NSAs), that sets out actions to enhance engagement through 3 key areas: dialogue that better informs engagement; institutionalization that enables more systematic engagement; and collaboration that integrates NSAs into WHO/Europe's ways of working at both regional and country level.

The plan was launched at the inaugural NSA event titled Celebrating and strengthening engagement opportunities to promote health in the WHO European Region prior to the 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe. Those present included patient groups, policy networks and youth organizations, together with many WHO experts and Member State representatives.

Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, welcomed participants in an opening statement stressing the importance of forging strong partnerships with patient groups, young people, the health sector, nongovernmental organizations, philanthropic organizations, academia and the private sector to rebuild trust, fight disinformation, and make powerful advancements in public health across Europe.

Exchanging experiences

The event included a panel discussion by NSA and Member State representatives during which they shared stories and personal experiences about the potential and impact that partnerships can have on public health outcomes in the WHO European Region. They highlighted the diverse and creative ways in which NSAs work with WHO and Member States to deliver health at country level. Panellists and participants commended the focus of the engagement plan and expressed their support to uphold its objectives in the coming years.

Speakers on the panel included:

• Moderator: Caroline Costongs, Director, EuroHealthNet
• Katja Čič, Youth4Health network
• Jérôme Weinbach, Deputy Director for European and International Affairs, French Social Ministries
• Thorkild Olesen, Executive Member, European Disability Forum
• Sergiu Gherman, Director of the Center for Health Policies and Studies (PAS Center), Republic of Moldova
• Vesna Kerstin Petrič, Head of the Office for Cooperation with WHO, Ministry of Health of Slovenia

Addressing questions from participants, Svenja Herrmann, Team Lead for Partnerships and Collaboration at WHO/Europe, described tangible next steps to ensure progress, saying, "We have already outlined opportunities to involve our NSA partners in decision-making and planning of key initiatives in the coming years."

A series of 6 concurrent workshops focused on ongoing areas of collaboration and future engagement opportunities. The themes of the workshops were as follows:

1. Supporting the implementation of the Framework for action on the health and care workforce, with a focus on the "retain and recruit" pillar.
2. United for community protection: co-creating solutions to protect people from health emergencies.
3. Co-creating a transformative noncommunicable disease agenda in the WHO European Region.
4. Implementing the World Health Assembly resolution on social participation in the WHO European Region: a joint effort to strengthen social participation at country level.
5. AI-enhanced public health: innovations, ethics and governance.
6. Tuberculosis-free central Asia initiative: a special case of how NSA engagement is shaped to fit the task.