71st Session of WHO Europe regional commitee

71ST SESSION OF WHO EUROPE REGIONAL COMMITTEE

Text: Stephanie Hauser | University of Bern

In September 2021 I attended the 71st session of the WHO Europe Regional Committee (RC71) as a member of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association (IFMSA) delegation. We were eight delegates, from all over Europe, and attended this six day conference virtually.

We started the meeting early, with the Young People and Young Professionals Forum (YPYP Forum). This event was planned and hosted by the IFMSA, the International Pharmaceutical Students Federation (IPSF) and the European Medical Students Association (EMSA) in collaboration with WHO/Europe. Students across the region gathered together and discussed two matters. Firstly they gave input to the recently published report of the PanEuropean Commission on Health and Sustainable Development and spoke directly to its chairperson Professor Mario Monti. Secondly, the attendees agreed on a roadmap for engagement with younger people in the WHO European Region, which was presented to the WHO/Europe member states.

The RC71 lasted for five days. The first two days focused heavily on the impact of COVID19, as member states discussed the lessons learned from the pandemic, the role of primary health care and the European Immunization Agenda 2030. Additionally the European Program of Work 20202025 and the Report of the PanEuropean Commission on Health and Sustainable development was discussed. The following three days saw sessions on WHO Budget and Financing, Mental Health, Climate Change, Health Literacy, Oslo Medicines Initiative, Alcohol control Policies, Universal Health Coverage, Health for persons with Disabilities and Health in Prisons.

As IFMSA delegation we drafted several statements, I in particular was excited to draft a statement on the COVID19 impact on Medical Education. Additionally we spent the meeting engaging with medical students worldwide through our social media strategy. We also conducted a gender watch, noting down the presumed gender and speaking time of all speakers during the event. Though women made up 56% of participants and 56% of interventions were made by women, only 45% of the speaking time was done by women.

Attending a WHO meeting was very intimidating at first, but I quickly learnt that WHO meetings are not that different from national swimsa meetings: many attendees, with different and unique perspectives, not enough time to hear everyone out, and many big ideas with struggles in implementation. What I take with me from this meeting is very simple: Wherever you go, be it a WHO meeting or a meeting with a friend, take the time to listen and understand.