Copenhagen and Moscow, 10 September 2010  

WHO Regional Committee for Europe to convene in Moscow, Russian Federation 

Health ministers and decision-makers from 53 countries will lay ground for a new pan-European health policy.

Over 300 representatives from the 53 Member States in the WHO European Region will meet in Moscow, Russian Federation on 13–16 September 2010 for the annual session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe. Hosted by the Government of the Russian Federation, the conference will discuss strategies and action plans to tackle public health issues on the national and regional levels.

Confirmed speakers include Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General; Tatiana Golikova, Minister of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation; John Dalli, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy; and over 20 health ministers from countries in the European Region. The Regional Committee session will be open to accredited journalists (see registration information in notes to editors).

“Across the WHO European Region, even the wealthiest countries are wrestling with the task of adapting to new financial realities to better respond to existing health challenges. Through stronger regional cooperation and increased knowledge sharing, national health systems can be better equipped to tackle the health effects of the economic crisis and the high burden of disease, as well as health emergencies,” says Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

Health inequalities between and within countries are rising in the European Region, and governments need to pay even closer attention to the needs of vulnerable populations and to social determinants of health. The European health report 2009 – a recent publication of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, released in Russian for the first time – confirms that poverty continues to be the biggest threat to people’s health, regardless of a country’s level of development. According to the report, the gap i