WHO Regions for Health Network - RHN

23/10/2025

[🧓👴News from the network!]

Member regions are translating WHO’s vision into practice through targeted initiatives for – spanning health promotion, mental well-being, social inclusion and intergenerational solidarity:

📌 Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany: community connection through health cafés

📌Klaipėda Region, Lithuania: reducing loneliness with a “social recipe”

📌Wales: building an age-friendly nation through local leadership

📌Empowering active ageing through “Moscow Longevity”

📌Western Greece: bridging health care and community through telemedicine

📌Bizkaia: an Age-Friendly territory

As the WHO European Region and neighbouring regions face a demographic shift toward older populations, WHO’s policies on healthy ageing are guiding governments and local authorities toward innovative, evidence-based strategies. Within the WHO Regions for Health Network (RHN), member regions are t...

29/09/2025

🌟 , Big Health Impact
The report from the Eleventh high-level meeting of the Small Countries Initiative is now online!

From 11–13 May 2025, 14 countries and 82 health leaders came together in Bled, Slovenia for the Eleventh High-Level Meeting of the Small Countries Initiative (SCI) – including 7 ministers of health.

The focus? Innovation as the engine of health system transformation.
💡 Personalized & preventive care
💡 Tech innovation in health
💡 Decarbonizing health systems
💡 Sustainable health financing
💡 Community empowerment

Key takeaways:
✅ SCI impact report 2021–2024
✅ Aligning small countries’ priorities with WHO EPW2 (2026–2030)
✅ Boosting health workforce development and access to medicines
✅ Signing the Slovenia Statement – a commitment to collaboration and innovation

The report:

Publicaciones de la Organización Mundial de la Salud

11/09/2025

[RHN news 🗞️ ]

Regions Unite to Advance Health and Climate Action at Upcoming Flanders Conference

How can regions better protect health and wellbeing in the face of climate change—while also making their health systems more sustainable? This critical question will be at the heart of a three-day conference in Brussels, taking place from 15 to 17 September 2025.
The event is co-organized by the Government of Flanders, the WHO Regions for Health Network (RHN), and the European Committee of the Regions.

More 👉

How can regions better protect health and wellbeing in the face of climate change—while also making their health systems more sustainable? This critical question will be at the heart of a three-day conference in Brussels, taking place from 15 to 17 September 2025. The event is co-organized by the ...

16/07/2025

“Better health begins in the regions: building bridges, creating solutions”

📌 30th annual meeting of the Regions for Health Network!
26 – 28 November 2025, St Pölten, Austria

Updates on our website 👇 👇 👇

Hosted by the Government of Lower Austria, the 30th annual meeting of the WHO European Regions for Health Network (RHN) will centre around the theme “Better health begins in the regions: building bridges, creating solutions”.

28/01/2025

Join us!👇

The second of five hearings shaping the future of health in Europe takes place on 30 January 2025 – and you're invited!

Our next topic is: ‘ageing is living’. With ageing populations how can we ensure that as people live longer, we enhance life within those years. Bringing together experts from academia, government and civil society, this session is for anyone who wants to help make age about more than just a number.

✍️ REGISTER NOW: https://bit.ly/4fM9Nn7

21/01/2025

WHO comments on United States announcement of intent to withdraw

13/01/2025

[Worth a read]
Evaluating 5 years of the first European Programme of Work

WHO/Europe has officially commenced work on evaluating its European Programme of Work, 2020–2025 (EPW) – “United Action for Better Health”. This strategy, which has guided the European Region’s health priorities for the past 4 years, is now under review to inform the development of the sec...

26/11/2024

Ready for tomorrow!

Thanks 🇮🇹Friuli Venezia Giulia for hosting the 29th RHN Annual Meeting in Trieste.
3 days on AI, Commercial Determinants, Ageing & enhancing community wellbeing.

Discover Regional success stories here

The 29th annual meeting of the Regions for Health Network, which will be hosted by the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in Trieste, Italy, will be centred around the theme of “Enhancing community well-being”. This will be a landmark event for subnational authorities in Europe, bringing together a di...

29/10/2024

is starting!

📺Follow the live-streaming
https://video.qbrick.com/play2/embed/qbrick-player?accountId=AcctA11DkAkM0S3oavAXnH4Mw&mediaId=1cac9864-3635-4368-8c92-04f4f4050099&configId=qbrick-player&pageStyling=adaptive&autoplay=false&repeat=false&sharing=false&download=false&volume

🗂More
https://www.who.int/europe/about-us/governance/regional-committee/74th-session-of-the-who-regional-committee-for-europe

Health ministers and high-level delegates from the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region, as well as representatives of partner organizations and civil society, will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 29–31 October 2024 for the 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC74).

07/10/2024

🍷 [CAMPAIGN] Redefine alcohol for a healthier, safer, and happier Europe

Yolanda’s efforts for ***r spaces, free from harms due to alcohol

WATCH THE VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txY8bZJAkrc&t=1s&ab_channel=WHOEuropeanRegion

CAMPAIGN: https://www.who.int/europe/event/redefining-alcohol-for-a-healthier--safer--and-happier-europe

“We don’t need alcohol to enjoy ourselves or feel included. What we need is to take back our community spaces, cultural and sports events.”Yolanda delivers a...

26/09/2024

Thanks for joining us at European Health Forum Gastein!
It was a great opportunity to meet and discuss the power of cross-border cooperation.

Thanks Initiative Healthacross; Niederösterreichische Landesgesundheitsagentur for sharing your inspiring Initiative!

You can download the report now here: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/378548