WHO Regions for Health Network 26th annual meeting: strengthening societal resilience to deal with COVID-19 and climate change

Overview

From 25–28 October 2021, 80 speakers from 15 countries and 26 regions met at the 26th Annual Meeting of the Regions for Health Network (‎RHN)‎, facilitated by the Government of Moscow, Russian Federation, a member of the Network. This was the first RHN annual meeting since the adoption of the new WHO European Programme of Work (‎EPW)‎ and therefore offered a unique opportunity to discuss its priorities for RHN members. The meeting’s objectives were to review current and future joint priorities and activities and share lessons learnt on two specific themes: COVID-19 and universal health coverage; and healthier populations, with a specific focus on climate change and the environment. Discussions involved representatives from the regions, WHO experts and researchers. A strong need for cross-sectoral collaboration to build societal resilience in face of the threats of COVID-19 and climate change emerged from discussions during the four days of the meeting.