Meeldetuletus

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WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE WELTGESUNDHEITSORGANISATION REGIONALBÜRO FÜR EUROPA

ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTÉ BUREAU RÉGIONAL DE L'EUROPE

ВСЕМИРНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ

ЕВРОПЕЙСКОЕ РЕГИОНАЛЬНОЕ БЮРО

Intercountry workshop WHO-IOM-EU EU4Health joint action

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Location: Bucharest, Romania 11 November 2024 Dates: 18-19 February 2025 Original: English

Concept note

1. Background

Since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, there are currently 6.2 million refugees from Ukraine forcibly displaced across Europe. To promote a balance of efforts between Member States receiving refugees and displaced people from Ukraine, the European Commission proposed to activate the Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55/EC), which was unanimously adopted by the European Council in March 2022. The European Council adopted the decision to extend the temporary protection until 4 March 2026. Holders of temporary protection have access to rights and entitlements, including healthcare. Since October 2023 and for two years, the European Commission is funding two actions with WHO and IOM via the EU4Health 2023 Work Programme. Building on each other’s mandates and areas of expertise, the two UN agencies are implementing two actions in full coordination and complementarity, and therefore, they are referred to as the joint WHO-IOM-EU action. The joint action is implemented in 10 countries, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, and Slovakia. Its overall objective is to strengthen the health systems of these 10 countries to ensure access to services for refugees and displaced people from Ukraine. To do so, the joint action seeks to contribute to the following deliverables:

 Support national health authorities to adjust the health coverage to meet the needs of refugees and displaced people

 Conduct health system reviews to understand the barriers and enablers for refugees from Ukraine in accessing health services

 Deploy health mediators to support refugees in navigating the health system and accessing services

 Strengthen/establish networks of relevant health actors providing services to refugees

 Develop and support programmes in country aimed at empowering displaced health workers to continue their professional development

 Increase the vaccination coverage among refugees

 Promote and disseminate health information among refugees Given the rapid response that countries offered to support the health needs of refugees and displaced people from Ukraine, they have gained knowledge, experience and lessons learned on how to improve access to services while collaborating with local partners for increased impact.

Scope and purpose page 2

These learnings can be shared with other countries with the potential to be replicated in other contexts.

2. Purpose and objectives The intercountry event is organized by the WHO Regional Office for Europe, and it aims at creating a platform for sharing lessons learned and good practices among countries of implementation of the WHO-IOM-EU joint action with the objective to build/strengthen the capacity of Member States in technical areas of refugee and migrant health. The event will bring together MoH representatives of the 10 countries of implementation (Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, and Slovakia), EU, WHO and IOM representatives, and key partners involved in the implementation of deliverables. The technical workshops will delve into 4 themes in alignment with some deliverables of the joint action:

 Understanding legal frameworks and procedures to support displaced health workers from Ukraine to continue their professional development in the host country

 Strategies to ensure access to health services. Examples from health mediators, and dedicated health working groups

 Enhancing public health messaging for Ukrainian refugee communities

 Strategies on immunization services for refugees to increase vaccination uptake Objectives of the event:

 To disseminate lessons learned and good practices based on the implementation of the action

 Enable communication exchange among national health authorities on strategies to meet the health needs of refugees and displaced people from Ukraine

 Identify areas of support for Member States, including cross-border collaboration Expected outcomes:

 Facilitate sharing of lessons learned and good practices

 Strengthen the capacity of Member States in addressed technical areas

 Generate key insights for actions aimed at supporting the health needs of refugees and displaced people from Ukraine

3. Participants

There will be approximately 40 participants attending the event. Invited participants include:

 MoH and/or relevant health authorities’ representatives of the countries of implementation

Scope and purpose page 3

 Key partners involved in the delivery of services for refugees and displaced people from Ukraine  WHO, IOM, and EU representatives

4. Format of the event

This is an in-person workshop which will be conducted in English. The workshop will include different thematic sessions and group discussions on some of the technical areas covered by the joint action.

Saatja: WHO EURO Migration Health Programme <[email protected]>

Saadetud: 04.12.2024 15:20

Adressaat: <=?utf-8?Q?Helen_S=C3=B5ber?=>

Koopia: <"Triin Uusberg">; <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>;

<[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; KÖHLER,

Kristina <[email protected]>

Teema: Gentle Reminder: EST_Request for nomination to the intercountry

workshop, 18-19 Feb 2025 in Bucharest Romania

Tähtsus: Kõrgeim

Tähelepanu! Tegemist on välisvõrgust saabunud kirjaga.Tundmatu saatja

korral palume linke ja faile mitte avada.Tähelepanu! Tegemist on

välisvõrgust saabunud kirjaga.Tundmatu saatja korral palume linke ja

faile mitte avada.Dear Ms Sõber,

This is a gentle reminder that we are looking forward to receiving two

nominations from Estonia for the above mentioned workshop in February

2025.

Please do not hestiate to reach out should you need additional

information.

We look forward to hearing from you soonest.

Respectfully,

WHO EURO Migration Health Programme

Country Implementation Support for Impact Unit

Division of Country Support and Partnerships

World Health Organization │Regional Office for Europe

UN City - Marmorvej 51 - 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

Phone: │

From: WHO EURO Migration Health Programme &lt;[email protected]&gt; Sent:

Monday, November 11, 2024 4:54 PMTo: Helen Sõber

&lt;[email protected]&gt;Cc: [email protected]; [email protected];

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];

KÖHLER, Kristina &lt;[email protected]&gt;Subject: EST_Request for

nomination to the intercountry workshop, 18-19 Feb 2025 in Bucharest

Romania

Please see the attached correspondence sent from the World Health

Organization, Regional Office for Europe.

We would appreciate a response by 9 December 2024

WHO EURO Migration Health Programme

Country Implementation Support for Impact Unit

Division of Country Support and Partnerships

World Health Organization │Regional Office for Europe

UN City - Marmorvej 51 - 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

Phone: │

UN City, Marmorvej 51 Tel.: +45 45 33 70 00 Email: [email protected] DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø Denmark

Fax: +45 45 33 70 01 Website: https://www.who.int/europe

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTÉ

WELTGESUNDHEITSORGANISATION ВСЕМИРНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ

Date: 11 November 2024 Ms Helen Sõber Adviser European Union Affairs and International Co-operation Department Ministry of Social Affairs Suur-Ameerika 1 10122 Tallinn Estonia

REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE BUREAU RÉGIONAL DE L’EUROPE

REGIONALBÜRO FÜR EUROPA ЕВРОПЕЙСКОЕ РЕГИОНАЛЬНОЕ БЮРО

Head office:

UN City, Marmorvej 51, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

Tel.: +45 45 33 70 00; Fax: +45 45 33 70 01 Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.who.int/europe

Our reference: Notre référence: Unser Zeichen: См. наш номер:

Your reference: Votre référence: Ihr Zeichen: На Ваш номер:

Dear Ms Sõber,

Invitation to the intercountry workshop on the WHO-IOM-EU EU4Health joint action 18-19 February 2025, Bucharest, Romania

I am pleased to inform you of the upcoming WHO Regional Office for Europe’s intercountry workshop on the WHO-IOM-EU EU4Health joint action. Since October 2023, as part of the health response to the war in Ukraine, WHO, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU) have been implementing a joint action in 10 Member States - Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, and Slovakia- with the aim to strengthen their health systems. The intercountry workshop aims to convene representatives from the 10 Member States to facilitate the exchange of lessons learned and good practices in the technical areas addressed by the joint action. The workshop is designed to strengthen the capacity of the Member States in these technical areas, and promote communication among national health authorities on strategies to meet the health needs of refugees and displaced people from Ukraine. The workshop will encourage the participants to reflect on their country contexts and share practices, challenges, and other relevant insights. Furthermore, it will aim to establish a platform where participants will find a common space to engage in dialogue, share innovative solutions, learn from each other’s experiences, discuss common challenges, and identify opportunities for collaborative action. The workshop will be conducted in English. To promote effective discussions, I kindly request you to nominate two participants representing the Ministry of Health or a relevant public health authority. I am pleased to inform you that WHO will cover the transportation and accommodation for the nominated representatives to the workshop. Please liaise directly with Ms Simona Melki ([email protected]) for any questions you might have. I look forward to receiving your nominations by 9 December 2024. Sincerely, Kristina Mauer-Stender Acting Director Division of Country Support and Partnerships

– 2 –

Encls: Concept Note Project brief Copy for information to: Ms Triin Uusberg, Head, European Union Affairs and International Co-operation Department, Ministry of Social Affairs, Suur-Ameerika 1, 10129 Tallinn, Estonia H.E. Ms Riia Salsa-Audiffren, Ambassador Representative of the Republic of Estonia, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Estonia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 28A, CH-1209 Genève, Switzerland H.E. Mr Andre Pung, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of the Republic of Estonia, Frederiksgade 19, 4th floor, 1265 Copenhagen K, Denmark Ms Kristina Köhler, Liaison Officer, WHO Country Office, Estonia, Paldiski Road 81, 10617 Tallinn, Estonia

WHO and IOM are partnering with the EU for better health of refugees and displaced people from Ukraine

The World Health Organization (WHO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU) are partnering to support countries in improving the access to health care services for refugees and displaced people from Ukraine under the Temporary Protection Directive activated by the EU on 4 March 2022 following the onset of the war in Ukraine.

The project Improving access to healthcare for refugees and people displaced from Ukraine benefitting of temporary protection in Member States is funded by the EU under the 2023 EU4Health Work Programme. It will be implemented in 10 European countries from 2023 to 2025: Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Slovakia.

Background Since the war began, millions of people have been forced to leave their homes. More than 5.9 million people from Ukraine are displaced across Europe (as of November 2023)1. The arrival of large numbers of refugees and displaced people has placed significant strain on the national health systems of many refugee- receiving countries. To assist countries in managing the situation, WHO, IOM and EU are working with national health authorities to support and strengthen their health systems.

Copyright: WHO Copyright: IOM

IOM, WHO and EU will jointly:

analyse and address the barriers and gaps that hinder refugees’ and displaced people’s access to health services;

support health authorities to expand the health coverage and meet the health needs of refugees and displaced people from Ukraine;

provide and strengthen the capacities of health mediators to support refugees and displaced people in navigating the health system in the host country;

establish and strengthen networks of health workers and support their education needs to strengthen their capaci- ties in the provision of refugee-sensitive health services;

empower displaced health workers from Ukraine to continue their professional development;

increase the vaccination coverage among refugees and displaced people from Ukraine; and

establish health promotion programmes adapted to the realities in which refugees and displaced people from Ukraine live in.

1 Source: UNHCR data portal. Ukraine refugee situation. https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine; accessed 30 November 2023.