News

12 researchers in WHO European Region awarded grants for research on TB and COVID-19 22-06-2021

12 research projects from the WHO European Region are being funded by the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) following a call to identify and address barriers and bottlenecks to implementing tuberculosis-related services in the Region during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reducing harm due to alcohol: success stories from 3 countries 15-04-2021

The WHO-recommended “best buys” for alcohol policy can easily help countries to reduce health harms related to alcohol consumption. But according to the new WHO/Europe report “Making the WHO European Region SAFER. Developments in alcohol control policies, 2010–2019”, not many Member States use these measures. Experience from Lithuania, Scotland and the Russian Federation shows how effective they can be when countries choose to implement them.

Don’t let the COVID-19 crisis become an AMR catastrophe – countries put their weight behind World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2020 15-02-2021

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and all the pressures faced by public health providers, partners in countries across the WHO European Region nonetheless showed great commitment to marking World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) 2020. Partners and other organizations in Member States conducted a wide range of activities to raise awareness about antimicrobial resistance (AMR), operating within local restrictions and shifting events online to keep participants safe.

Enhancing local planning and management of blue spaces 04-12-2020

Natural and diverse environments have profound impacts on health and mental well-being. Embedding nature in urban settings, such as green spaces and blue spaces, which are urban areas that feature bodies of water, is an important way to achieve health-enhancing communities and healthy cities.

New WHO report reveals that while smoking continues to decline among European adolescents, the use of electronic cigarettes by young people is on the rise 02-12-2020

Tobacco use among young people in the WHO European Region remains a public health concern. Despite the overall downward trend, several countries of the Region observed an increase in tobacco use prevalence among young people in the latest round of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey. While cigarettes remain the most used form of tobacco products, there is a concerning trend emerging from the use of electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes). According to the latest available data, young people are turning to these products at an alarming rate. The new report reveals that in some countries the rates of e-cigarette use among adolescents were much higher than those for conventional cigarettes. In Poland, for example, 15.3% of students smoked cigarettes and 23.4% used electronic cigarettes in 2016.

Research project builds national capacities to evaluate alcohol control policies in Baltic states and beyond 12-11-2020

The WHO-supported international research project “Evaluation of the impact of alcohol control policies on morbidity and mortality in Lithuania and other Baltic states” is holding a series of capacity-building workshops. These workshops aim to establish a network of researchers and equip them with in-depth knowledge and practical skills to gather valuable data and statistics, and to identify and evaluate best practices for reducing alcohol-related harm across northern Europe and beyond.

Focusing on noncommunicable diseases to “build back better” 18-09-2020

The focus on accountability of this year’s Global Week for Action on NCDs (noncommunicable diseases) follows a United Nations-wide call from Secretary-General António Guterres “to use the recovery to build back better” – a call to take advantage of the opportunities that COVID-19 has presented us. This is highly relevant in the area of NCDs, where WHO has recently produced several resources that show that the European Region stands ready and willing to #ActOnNCDs with governments, donors and partners.

SocialNet 2019: a real-life rehearsal on risk communication, community engagement and social science for the COVID-19 pandemic 08-09-2020

“When COVID-19 emerged, we quickly committed to daily press conferences and answered each and every question. If we didn’t have the answer, we said so honestly and promised to get more information as soon as possible,” says Oskars Sneiders, Head of the Communication Division in the Latvian Ministry of Health. “We saw a strong effect: people really listened and followed our recommendations, which has helped us to keep case numbers down so far.”

New research grant will help to find best practices of tackling alcohol consumption in the Baltics 16-07-2020

A new international project "Evaluation of the impact of alcohol control policies on morbidity and mortality in Lithuania and other Baltic states" funded by the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has been launched to investigate the effects of alcohol market regulations implemented in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The research backed by WHO/Europe is designed for a 5-year work plan that can ultimately benefit all countries of the European Region, identifying the best practices that can help lower alcohol consumption and associated health harms.

WHO addresses European Parliament on COVID-19 response 01-07-2020

On 25 June, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge spoke to the European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) about the global response to COVID-19. They highlighted the leadership of the European Union (EU) at this unprecedented time and responded to questions from Members of the European Parliament.

WHO report on health behaviours of 11–15-year-olds in Europe reveals more adolescents are reporting mental health concerns 19-05-2020

In around a third of countries, the report reveals a rise in adolescents feeling pressured by schoolwork and a decline in young people reporting to like school. The report also discloses that over 1 in 10 adolescents report having been cyberbullied at least once in the past two months.

Moving towards a multisectoral approach to tackling antimicrobial resistance 19-03-2020

A new publication produced by WHO’s European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and published by Cambridge University Press outlines the need for multisectoral approaches – involving disciplines such as human medicine, veterinary medicine, agricultural sciences, epidemiology, economics, sociology and psychology – to address the global problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The publication goes on to describe the potential economic and policy responses for tackling the challenge of AMR in the European Union.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): European Region focusing on readiness 14-02-2020

In response to the detection of the COVID-19 virus in China in December 2019, countries in the WHO European Region have been activating national plans to ensure that health and other systems are not just prepared for but also ready to respond to importation of this new virus. This means that public health officials can rapidly respond to reports of suspect cases and identify contacts at high risk; hospitals have the necessary equipment and guidance to manage cases while protecting health-care staff and other patients from infection; and the public understands the level of risk posed by the virus and how to minimize it.

Standing up for health for all 06-02-2020

Dr Hans Kluge, the new WHO Regional Director for Europe, opened a country briefing yesterday to showcase collaboration between the Ministry of Health of Lithuania and the WHO Country Office in Lithuania. The briefing took place during WHO’s Executive Board meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. WHO/Europe has provided such briefings at several recent governance meetings in order to increase Member States’ understanding of WHO’s work and impact at the country level.

Violence against children: tackling hidden abuse 13-01-2020

Each year, at least 55 million children experience some form of violence in the WHO European Region, including physical, sexual, emotional and psychological violence. Despite the magnitude of this figure, it is well established that incidents of interpersonal violence are widely underreported.

Time for integrated and people-centred services for HIV, TB and viral hepatitis 10-01-2020

The international medical journal, The Lancet, has published an article demonstrating the benefits of integrated and people-centred services in responding to the rise of HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and viral hepatitis in eastern European and central Asian countries of the WHO European Region.

Summer School: incubator for bringing Sustainable Development Goals closer to local communities 08-10-2019

A Summer School organized by the WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development (Venice, Italy) of the WHO Regional Office for Europe – in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia, the National Institute of Public Health in Slovenia, and the Centre for Health and Development Murska Sobota, Slovenia – has galvanized awareness about and a thorough understanding of the need to bring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) closer to the local communities, as well as the value of doing so. It resulted in the inception of 5 projects to be implemented at the local level.

The influenza season is over … for now 08-07-2019

The 2018–2019 influenza season in Europe has finally drawn to a close, having begun in late November and peaked between late January and early February. The season was characterized by a dominance of influenza A viruses, with detection of both influenza A virus subtypes – A(H1N1)pdm09 and A(H3N2) – and very few influenza B viruses.

Strengthening intersectoral work to tackle violence against children in the Baltic States 11-02-2019

WHO is supporting its Member States to strengthen intersectoral work to tackle violence against children through capacity-building initiatives. The latest in a series of such initiatives were two workshops focusing on the Baltic States. The workshops organized by WHO were held on 8 to 11 January 2019 in Vilnius, Lithuania and provided a platform for discussing experiences, strengths and challenges regarding evidence-based parenting programmes as effective measures to prevent child maltreatment.

2018: The WHO European Region’s Year in Review 21-12-2018

The year 2018 was a momentous one for WHO, which celebrated 70 years of working to improve the health and well-being of people around the world. Here is a look back at some of the key moments from the year – highlighting both country-level activities and the collective achievements of the Region, but also emphasizing areas where continued work and even accelerated efforts will be needed to make progress.

Celebrating success and inspiring progress on World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse 19-11-2018

In the WHO European Region, it is estimated that 55 million children are subject to some form of violence each year. On World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse, WHO/Europe highlights examples of good practice from around the Region related to the prevention of child maltreatment.

Lancet: further action needed to realise full health potential of European children and adolescents 01-11-2018

A health policy article based on the WHO progress report “Situation of child and adolescent health in Europe” has been published in the Lancet today. The article assesses the situation in the WHO European Region by summarizing national gains and highlighting areas for further action.

Addressing mental health, human rights and standards of care in Europe 09-07-2018

To address the identified need for better standards of care in large psychiatric and social care institutions across the European Region, WHO has capacitated a new cadre of mental health professionals from more than a dozen Member States. These professionals will work to implement quality improvements and ensure the appropriate protection of human rights in these care settings.

Child maltreatment prevention workshop strengthens collaboration in Nordic–Baltic subregion 03-07-2018

WHO/Europe has brought together and supported Member States within the Nordic–Baltic subregion to strengthen national action to tackle violence against children through intersectoral work. To advance progress in this area, more than 90 stakeholders from 10 Member States took part in a workshop on 18–19 June 2018 in Vilnius, Lithuania, to discuss how the health sector could partner with other sectors to stop child maltreatment. The Government of Lithuania and the Nordic Baltic Council of Ministers cohosted the event.

Caring for thousands over 4 decades of midwifery 14-05-2018

Ms Virginia Stankevičiūtė, Chief Midwife in the Labour and Delivery Unit of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos, clearly remembers graduating from a midwifery programme at the medical school in Panevėžys, Lithuania, in 1979 and coming to the clinical hospital in Kaunas.

World Health Day 2018 in the WHO European Region – making health about the people, for the people 09-05-2018

On World Health Day 2018, WHO called on all countries to make universal health coverage (UHC) a political priority, using available evidence and tools to determine their own path to health for all. This year’s World Health Day also marked the 70th anniversary of WHO, and the start of a 2-year campaign to raise awareness and advocate for action towards UHC.

Creative approach for the prevention of psychoactive substance use in Lithuania 03-05-2018

For the first time, five district municipalities in the Health Promoting Kaunas Region, a member of the Regions for Health Network (RHN), joined forces in implementing a health-promoting camp focused on the early prevention of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including the use of psychoactive substances in particular. The camp, entitled “Communication for health”, was organized by the Union of the Lithuanian Health Psychologists (ULHP) and the Mental Health Initiative on 4–8 April 2018 under the patronage of the Health Promoting Kaunas Region Working group.

Baltic policy dialogue on improving quality of care and ensuring patient safety: strategies, regulation, monitoring and incentives 14-12-2017

At a Baltic policy dialogue held on 15–16 November 2017 for senior-level delegates from the 3 Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), including the health ministers of Lithuania and Latvia, representatives from all 3 health ministries met in Vilnius to exchange experiences in improving quality of care and ensuring patient safety.

Endemic measles interrupted in 42 out of 53 countries in the Region 26-09-2017

The number of countries in the Region that have demonstrated interruption of measles and rubella continues to increase and now stands at 42 for measles and 37 for rubella. However, Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, warns that immunization coverage is decreasing. 1 in every 15 children still does not receive the first vaccination dose against measles and rubella on time.

Strengthening primary health care in Belarus: delegation visits Lithuania 14-08-2017

Belarus has embarked on transforming primary care services to improve the prevention, treatment and management of noncommunicable diseases. To learn from other countries, a group of policy-makers, managers and practitioners from Belarus visited Lithuania from 10 to 14 July 2017. Vilnius University and the Lithuanian Society of Family Medicine hosted the visit.

Moldovan health professionals visit Lithuanian University of Health Sciences 28-07-2017

A delegation of Moldovan health professionals conducted a study visit to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno klinikos on 28–30 June 2017. The participants enjoyed an exchange of experiences, sharing of best practices and training sessions in the simulation centre.

Minister of Health of Lithuania visits WHO/Europe to discuss key priorities and collaboration 10-07-2017

On 6 July 2017, WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab welcomed Minister of Health of Lithuania Professor Aurelijus Veryga for an official visit to WHO/Europe in Copenhagen, Denmark. The visit provided an opportunity for Dr Jakab and Professor Veryga to discuss ways in which WHO/Europe can work with, in and for Lithuania in order to strengthen collaboration and implement the biennial collaborative agreement for 2016–2017.

Lithuanian parliament endorses strong alcohol legislation 06-06-2017

The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, has voted in legislation aimed at reducing the average annual alcohol consumption of Lithuanians. This initiative is based on the cost-effective measures endorsed by ministers of health from all over the world at the 70th session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva last week. The “best buys” steps include measures regarding alcohol price, availability and marketing.

World Health Assembly Day 2: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus elected new Director-General 24-05-2017

On 23 May 2017, the Member States of WHO elected Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as the new Director-General of WHO.

High level policy dialogue on child maltreatment prevention in Vilnius, Lithuania 15-05-2017

A high level policy dialogue was convened on 28 April 2017 by the WHO Country Office of Lithuania in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Professor Aurelijus Veryga, Minister of Health, opened the meeting saying, “stopping violence in children and investing in its prevention is a key priority in Lithuania”. Preventing child maltreatment is high on the policy agenda in Lithuania after a tragic case that captured public attention and which led to historic legislation to ban corporal punishment of children in all settings. Further, there is concern in Lithuania, and throughout the WHO European Region, about alcohol as a risk factor for both interpersonal violence and suicide. The Minister asked participants to propose practical suggestions for the way forward.

Measuring primary health care performance: what’s new? 20-04-2017

In their pursuing to meet global commitments, countries of the WHO European Region are renewing their commitment to primary health care (PHC) as a means of improving responsiveness and bringing cost-effective health services closer to individuals, their families and communities.

Strengthening primary care in the Baltic countries 11-11-2016

Member States in the WHO European Region and around the world are challenged with managing the growing double burden of disease, longer life expectancies, and persistent but also re-emerging communicable diseases.

Designation of a new WHO collaborating centre for Nursing Education and Practice 11-10-2016

WHO is pleased to announce that the Faculty of Nursing at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences in Kaunas has recently been designated as a WHO collaborating centre for Nursing education and practice.

RHN annual meeting 2016: reaching the Global Goals and leaving no one behind 29-09-2016

On 22–23 September 2016, Lithuania hosted the 23rd annual meeting of the Regions for Health Network (RHN) at Raudondvaris Castle in Kaunas region. The meeting focused on how regions can implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Developmen with its central role of health in leaving no one behind.

New course builds “soft skills” for greater health equity and well-being in policy 01-07-2016

On 8–10 June 2016, WHO/Europe held the first "flagship" course on Equity in Health in All Policies (eHiAP). The course is designed to build capacity in the "soft skills" needed to bridge policies and sectors to ensure greater health equity and well-being. The soft skills required for policy implementation are agenda-setting, stakeholder analysis and negotiating with a wide range of policy-makers. The participants included individuals from the Nordic and Baltic countries who work at national, regional and local levels to shape and implement policies to improve health outcomes.

WHO conducts infectious substances shipping training for national influenza centres from 19 countries 15-06-2016

24 specialists from 19 countries achieved certification after attending WHO's infectious substances shippers training (ISST) in Tbilisi, Georgia on 2–4 May 2016.

The Greek Government launches a broad policy dialogue on primary health care reform 24-05-2016

The Ministry of Health of Greece together with WHO/Europe organized a policy dialogue on primary health care reform that took place on 9–10 May 2016 in Athens, under the "Strengthening capacity for universal coverage" (SCUC) initiative.

Opening day of World Health Assembly: 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in focus 24-05-2016

WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan opened the Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly with words of celebration, warning and hope.Dr Chan celebrated recent progress in global public health, particularly in combating HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and poliomyelitis, as well as in improving maternal and child health. But she warned that the recent outbreaks of Ebola, MERS coronavirus, Zika and urban yellow fever signalled a "dramatic resurgence of the threat from emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases".

Regions for Health Network Steering Group plans next steps 26-04-2016

The first face-to-face meeting of the Regions for Health Network (RHN) Steering Group took place on 18–19 April 2016 in Venice, Italy. Steering Group members discussed the steps taken since RHN was revitalized in 2012, and identified crucial milestones for the current biennium 2016–2017.

European Health Information Initiative expands by 7 members at 4th Steering Group Meeting 12-04-2016

Georgia, Lithuania, Malta and Portugal are the latest Member States to be welcomed to the European Health Information Initiative (EHII) alongside new institutional members Public Health England, the European Public Health Association, and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, which is a WHO collaborating centre.

Antibiotic awareness drives digital conversation in European countries 16-03-2016

The use of social and other digital media – Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, text messages, video and websites – for health messaging is growing rapidly in the WHO European Region. All 19 of the non-EU countries that participated in the first World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW) in 2015 used digital media to raise awareness about antibiotic resistance. This marks a tremendous change from a couple of years earlier, when only around 10% of these countries used digital media to promote campaigns.

Lithuanian Sports University and Kaunas Region promote physical activity 15-02-2016

Kaunas Region (Lithuania), in collaboration with Lithuanian Sports University, started the project "Physical Activity Promotion among Kaunas Region Communities Using Information Technology".

Lithuania promotes physical activity and heart health in a collaborative community bicycle event 29-09-2015

On World Heart Day, 29 September 2015, WHO recommends increased physical activity and exercise to live longer in good health and to reduce mortality from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as heart conditions, obesity and diabetes.

Day 4 highlights: RC65 adopts new tuberculosis action plan and closes 17-09-2015

Highlights of the final day of the 65th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC65) included adoption of the action plan, agreement on closer cooperation between WHO/Europe and the European Commission and a description of countries' experience in addressing the migration crisis in Europe.

Lithuania confirms no restrictions on entry, stay and residence for people living with HIV 17-09-2015

 Relevant provisions of the 2011 UN General Assembly Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, the European Convention on Human Rights and EU legislation adhered to in the Republic of Lithuania

Day 3 highlights: adoption of strategy on physical activity and roadmap for tobacco control 16-09-2015

The strategy and the roadmap for the European Region, adopted by the 65th session of the Regional Committee (RC65), will contribute to achieving the global goal of a 25% reduction in premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) by 2025.

Day 2 highlights: focus continues on intersectoral action 15-09-2015

Panel discussions on the second day of the 65th session of the Regional Committee (RC65) focused on the need to work across sectors to address the health challenges of today's interconnected world. The WHO Director-General called on Member States to pay particular attention to how corporate interests influence health policy-making, asking, "Who really governs the policies that shape our health?"

Day 1 highlights: RC65 opens with emphasis on intersectoral action 14-09-2015

HRH The Crown Princess of Denmark and the WHO Regional Director for Europe opened the 65th session of the Regional Committee (RC65), recognizing intersectoral action as its overarching theme. The President of the Republic of Lithuania welcomed over 300 delegates to Vilnius.

Health-strengthening activities in Kaunas region, Lithuania 03-08-2015

In Kaunas region, many educational institutions promote children's health and healthy lifestyles. Future plans in the Kaunas region include the creation of a health-strengthening network of educational institutions to implement joint projects that actively promote pupils' health.

Better prepared for health emergencies in Central Europe 08-07-2015

50 health sector officials from 10 central European countries convened for a workshop on risk communications in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova, during the first week of July 2015.

EVIPNet is taking Europe by storm – EVIPNet Europe concludes third multicountry meeting on using research evidence for policy-making 30-06-2015

"EVIPNet is taking Europe by storm," said Dr Claudia Stein, Director, Division of Information, Evidence, Research and Innovation, WHO/Europe, when opening the third Evidence-informed Policy Network (EVIPNet) Europe multicountry meeting

World Health Day 2015: countries across Europe promote food safety 20-05-2015

World Health Day 2015 was an opportunity to recognize the important food safety role of all involved in food production, and to strengthen collaboration and coordination between these different areas to prevent, detect and respond to foodborne diseases.

Lithuania hosts policy dialogue on child maltreatment prevention 20-04-2015

The policy dialogue brought 30 stakeholders together to collaborate on a joint revised policy proposal that builds on the current Lithuanian Violence Prevention and Protection Programme for Children 2010-2015.

Lithuania hosts health systems strengthening workshop for violence and injury prevention 20-04-2015

The Lithuania WHO Country Office recently partnered with the Ministry of Health and the Institute of Hygiene to host a capacity building workshop aimed at strengthening health systems capacity to address violence and injury prevention through the program TEACH-VIP 2.

Region-wide celebration of European Antibiotic Awareness Day 31-12-2014

Antibiotic resistance affects the entire WHO European Region, driven by the overuse, underuse and misuse of antibiotics. Since 2008, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and Member States in the European Region have celebrated European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD) on 18 November to raise awareness of this issue and emphasize every person’s shared responsibility to help prevent it. For the past 3 years, WHO/Europe has joined in marking EAAD, with more countries taking part each year.

Baltic policy dialogue focuses on integrated care solutions 19-12-2014

The 11th edition of the Baltic Policy Dialogues series, held on 13–14 November 2014 in Vilnius, gathered leading and senior-level representatives from the Ministries of Health of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as representatives of the health insurance and professional stakeholders for analysing evidence, sharing experience and exploring implications of investing in integrated care solutions to manage multiple and chronic conditions.

Kaunas, Lithuania: working towards green and healthy sustainable mobility 26-09-2014

The Kaunas City Municipality and the Ministries of Health, Environment and Transport of the Republic of Lithuania hosted a Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP) workshop, Improvement of Sustainable Urban Mobility for Better Health and Environment: Move to improve, on 24-25 September 2014.

Tackling air pollution, climate change and chemicals: European environmental priorities to protect health 09-07-2014

Air pollution, climate change and chemicals pose key environmental risks to people’s health that require political action in the European Region, according to members of the European Environment and Health Ministerial Board (EHMB). EHMB held its fifth meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania on 1 July 2014.

13 cities designated to WHO European Health Cities Network Phase VI (2014-2018) 26-06-2014

13 cities designated to WHO European Health Cities Network Phase VI (2014-2018)

World No Tobacco Day awards recognize personal commitment to reduce tobacco consumption in European Region 24-06-2014

Each year WHO presents World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) awards to carefully selected individuals and organizations in recognition of their long-term personal commitment and outstanding contribution to tobacco control in the European Region. 6 such awards were granted to individuals in the European Region in 2014.

Childhood obesity and tuberculosis on agenda on first day of World Health Assembly 21-05-2014

The Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly, WHO’s annual global meeting of ministers and senior health officials, opened on 19 May 2014.

Harnessing the potential of cross-border care in the Baltic states and Finland 11-02-2014

Senior decision-makers in the health sectors of Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania gathered in Tallinn, Estonia on 28–29 November 2013 to discuss a policy framework for cross-border care and health professional mobility.

EU Presidency Conference on mental health and capacity building workshop 23-12-2013

The Ministry of Health of Lithuania held a conference on mental health and suicide prevention on 10-11 October 2013, attended by about 150 stakeholders from around Europe. The conference was organized as part of Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).

Capacity building in operational research in reproductive health in countries of eastern and central Europe 26-11-2013

Representatives of 17 countries of WHO European Region discussed their experience in using knowledge and skills in operational research for further improvement of reproductive health during the WHO meeting “Capacity building in operational research in reproductive health in countries of eastern and central Europe” organized in Kaunas, Lithuania, 18-19 November.

National action plan to improve ambulatory models of TB care in Belarus 04-11-2013

National specialists from Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania and Russian Federation shared their experiences in the control of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and discussed Belarus’ national action plan to improve ambulatory models for TB care at a workshop on 10–11 October 2013 in Minsk, Belarus.

Official opening WHO Collaborating Centre for Harm Reduction 19-06-2013

On 11 June 2013, representatives of WHO/Europe visited the Vilnius University Public Health Institute (PHI) for the official opening of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Harm Reduction.

Lithuania gets road safety in the picture 04-06-2013

Lithuania celebrated the second United Nations Road Safety Week with a photographic competition organized by the Centre for Health Education and Disease Prevention.

New WHO Collaborating Centre for Harm Reduction in Lithuania 22-04-2013

WHO has recently established a collaborating centre for harm reduction at the Vilnius University Public Health Institute (PHI).

Lithuanian Minister of Health visits WHO/Europe 13-02-2013

Dr Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, the new Minister of Health, visited WHO/Europe on 11 February 2013.

Baltic policy dialogue explores hospital-sector reform 15-01-2013

Senior representatives of the health ministries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania recently took part in the 9th Baltic policy dialogue, focusing on hospital financing and governance as ways to support the rationalization of hospital care and improvement of performance.

Regional Director meets President of Lithuania 30-11-2012

Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, introduced the concepts of Health 2020, the European policy for health and well-being, at a conference during an official visit to Lithuania on 28–29 November 2012. 

Lithuanian Minister of Health visits 18-11-2010

On 4 November, Mr Raimondas Šukys, Minister of Health of Lithuania, met with Ms Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, to learn more about WHO/Europe’s work and discuss health priorities in Lithuania.