Dr. Tatiana Păduraru, Head of the Secretariat of the South-Eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN), met with Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, on the sidelines of the 75th Regional Committee (RC75) meeting held in Copenhagen on 31 October 2025.

The two leaders reaffirmed the enduring partnership between SEEHN and WHO/Europe and discussed ways further to strengthen both technical and political collaboration across South-Eastern Europe.

They underscored the strong alignment between SEEHN’s mandate and the WHO European Programme of Work, particularly in key priority areas such as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), digital health, health workforce development, aging, health financing, and strengthening primary health care.

Recent joint efforts—most notably the nursing leadership side event organized during the Seventy-Eighth World Health Assembly—were highlighted as clear examples of the shared commitment to improving health systems resilience and leadership across the region.

A key focus of the meeting was ongoing collaboration on the Western Balkans Roadmap. WHO/Europe recognized SEEHN’s valuable input in the evaluation process and encouraged its active role in shaping the technical direction of the upcoming Roadmap. Both sides expressed their goal of securing strong political endorsement from all relevant stakeholders. SEEHN reaffirmed its readiness to contribute to designing a practical, results-oriented framework and to support implementation through actionable, evidence-based approaches in partnership with WHO/Europe.

Against the backdrop of a complex geopolitical environment, the discussion highlighted the crucial role of health as a unifying platform for dialogue, stability, and solidarity. SEEHN’s leadership during its Israel Presidency was recognized as a notable example of effective health diplomacy in practice. Both sides emphasized the continued importance of coordinated diplomatic efforts to safeguard and advance public health priorities across the region.

The meeting also explored opportunities for joint resource mobilization and global fundraising. The participants emphasized the potential of leveraging SEEHN’s convening power and WHO’s technical and operational expertise to develop joint initiatives for regional programmes.

Dr. Păduraru underscored the importance of investing in human capital and committed leadership to accelerate progress and expressed deep appreciation for WHO/Europe’s ongoing support and collaboration.

Both parties reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing a strong, equitable, and sustainable health agenda for all populations across South-Eastern Europe.

The South-Eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) reaffirmed its strong commitment to advancing health innovation during the 75th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC75), held in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Dr. Tatiana Păduraru, Head of the SEEHN Secretariat, delivered a statement on Agenda Item 9 – A Strategy on Harnessing Innovation for Public Health in the WHO European Region 2025–2030, expressing SEEHN’s full support for WHO/Europe’s forward-looking framework.

In her speech, Dr. Păduraru emphasized that innovation is crucial for remaining relevant and resilient in today’s rapidly evolving health landscape. For South-Eastern Europe, innovation provides transformative opportunities to bridge resource gaps, solve workforce challenges, and strengthen health systems.

She emphasized that SEEHN has already started this journey through initiatives promoting digital transformation, human capital development, and equitable access to health innovations. These efforts closely align with the five pillars of the WHO/Europe Innovation Strategy and demonstrate SEEHN’s ongoing efforts to build a collaborative innovation space across the region.

Dr. Păduraru emphasized SEEHN’s willingness to collaborate with WHO/Europe as a regional implementation partner, ensuring that innovation results in concrete improvements in health outcomes.

“Innovation is not an abstract concept—it is the practical means by which we make health systems more inclusive, adaptive, and effective. SEEHN is committed to turning innovative ideas into real progress for all countries of South-Eastern Europe,”
said Dr. Tatiana Păduraru.

The intervention concluded with a reaffirmation of SEEHN’s commitment to fostering partnerships, equity-driven innovation, and regional solidarity in pursuit of a healthier and more resilient European Region.

The South-Eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN), under Israel’s Presidency, participated actively in the 75th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC75), held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from October 28 to 31, 2025.

Throughout the session, speaking on behalf of the SEEHN Member States — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Israel, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, and Serbia — the Israeli Presidency highlighted the network’s dedication to building resilient health systems rooted in solidarity, innovation, and collaboration.

During the general debate, SEEHN reiterated its strong support for the Second European Programme of Work 2026–2030 (EPW2) and its focus on health security, climate change, noncommunicable diseases, and ageing, all underpinned by digital transformation and innovation. The statement emphasized SEEHN’s regional progress in emergency preparedness, health workforce strengthening, and healthy ageing, while reaffirming solidarity and cooperation as guiding principles for the region.

In the discussions on Aging and Well-being, SEEHN emphasized the results of the regional Healthy Aging Workshop held in Montenegro in September 2025, highlighting the importance of evidence-based policy, equity, and regional cooperation as key drivers for an aging population.

Under the agenda item on Child and Adolescent Health and Well-being, SEEHN praised WHO/Europe and UNICEF for their joint strategy and reaffirmed its dedication to enhancing maternal, newborn, and adolescent health through stronger systems, digital innovation, and cross-border cooperation.

The SEEHN Presidency’s actions reflected the Network’s vision of shared regional progress, demonstrating how Member States turn global and European strategies into tangible efforts through collaboration, innovation, and solidarity.

SEEHN expressed gratitude to WHO/Europe and Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, Regional Director for Europe, for their continued partnership and leadership in supporting regional health priorities.

Photo: WHO/Europe – Source: https://www.who.int/europe/about-us/governance/regional-committee/75th-session-of-the-who-regional-committee-for-europe