South-eastern Europe Health Network reviews long-term strategies for improving public health in the subregion
Ministry of Health, Romania
The Romanian Presidency of the South-eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) organized and hosted the Network’s 33rd Plenary Meeting in Bucharest, Romania, on 10–11 July 2014.
During the meeting, participants discussed the SEEHN’s key strategic areas of work for 2014–2020 and beyond in implementing the SEE 2020 Strategy “Jobs and prosperity in European Perspective” under the auspices of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC).
The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss the revision of the Network’s rules, other strategic issues and major developments, activities and challenges in the SEEHN region in the first half of 2014. Topics of discussion included:
- a new SEEHN communication strategy and website developed as part of the WHO/Europe project: “Developing and sustaining the institutional capacities for regional cooperation in public health in South-eastern Europe (SEEHN)”;
- interviews of candidates for 4 positions in the SEEHN Secretariat;
- the future long-term health strategy of the SEEHN, starting from or continuing the objectives, measures and health indicators that are part of the Inclusive Growth pillar of the SEE 2020 Growth Strategy;
- starting a policy dialogue to provide an overview of the regional efforts and cooperation to enhance the inter-sectoral governance of health in order to achieve inclusive growth.
The event was attended by the national health coordinators of the SEEHN Member States, partner countries and partner international organizations, directors of the SEEHN Regional Health Development Centers (RHDC) and other key actors.
SEEHN´s partnerships in public health were further expanded and consolidated at the meeting, through:
- the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the European Center for Peace and Development (ECPD) as part of the University for Peace, Belgrade, Serbia;
- designation of a new RHDC in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- presentation of decisions of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) meeting for the SEEHN held in March 2014 in Bucharest, Romania;
- presentation of a SEEHN Decision on Patient Safety stemming from the European Commission TAIEX workshop on the topic held in December 2013 in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia.
