On 22-23 November, CEI and WHO senior representatives, together with delegates from health care systems in the Western Balkans (WBs), gathered in Trieste for their first intercountry area technical meeting titled 'Realizing the potential of primary health care to deliver on the Roadmap for Health in the Western Balkans'.
The conference aimed at implementing the “Roadmap for Health in the Western Balkans (2021-2025)”, one of the priorities identified by the "European Work Programme, 2020-2025 - United Action for Better Health", of the WHO Europe Office; and at facilitating knowledge exchange for developing the potential of the social and health care systems. It was also an opportunity to strengthen the synergies already in place between these countries as well as foster future collaborations.
In this context, SG Antonione underlined that the document had been elaborated around the health-related goals of the Western Balkan area, in order to build a stronger partnership and solidarity and forge important national strategies and international synergies. He announced that it would be politically endorsed at the CEI Summit in Budva on 3 December with a joint statement by the CEI, the WHO Europe, the European Commission and CEI Western Balkan countries. “The ongoing CEI-WHO_Europe partnership proves the value of efforts fostering regional and sub-regional cooperation to better align the strengthening of national health care systems with transnationally shared principles and guidelines", said Antonione
The two-day event offered the participants the chance to experience a guided tour of selected health facilities in the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region, organised by the CEI-Executive Secretariat and the Regional Health Authorities.
For more info: apuzzo@cei.int
