In the high-level segment of the session, President of Israel H.E. Mr. Isaac Herzog highlighted the importance of international collaboration and praised WHO/Europe for its work in helping to coordinate the pandemic response.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Dr.Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe addressed the delegates and provided a comprehensive overview of WHO’s work in the European Region.
Dr Kluge identified four primary ongoing threats to public health across the Region: COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and, more recently, monkeypox and poliomyelitis. He also underscored that while COVID-19 has claimed over two million lives across 53 countries, many times that number of lives are lost to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
Delegation of the OTS headed by the Deputy Secretary General Dr. Ömer Kocaman participated in the work of the session. Deputy Secretary General in his speech briefed the participants on the health cooperation in the framework of the organization and implemented projects and training programs for the health workforce of the Member and Observer States.
He also emphasized that the OTS supports the WHO EURO in the development of a new strategy to strengthen health emergency, preparedness, response and resilience in the region and is ready to actively participate in the regional consultation process.
In the margins of the RC72nd session, the delegation of the Secretariat and the WHO Euro held meeting to discuss future joint activities and agreed to collaborate on organizing a conference on “Emergency Preparedness and Sustainable Development – shaping our future in a transforming world” in Nur Sultan on 11-12 October 2022.
