Kutse

Saatja: SHAPOVAL, Nataliia <[email protected]>

Saadetud: 03.03.2025 15:12

Adressaat: <=?iso-8859-1?Q?Helen_S=F5ber?=>

Koopia: <"Agne Nettan-Sepp">; <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>;

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

<[email protected]>

Teema: Invitation to Consultation Meeting on WHO European Innovation

Strategy

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,

I hope this message finds you well.

I am writing to invite your country to participate in an upcoming

consultation meeting regarding the WHO European Innovation Strategy.

Please find attached two important documents for your reference: the

Scope and Purpose document and the Nomination Letter.

If you have any questions or require further information, please do not

hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

Nataliia Shapoval

Special Initiative on NCDs and Innovation

World Health Organization

Regional Office for Europe

Tel.: &#43;45 91 87 71 52

Email:

Web:

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTÉ

WELTGESUNDHEITSORGANISATION ВСЕМИРНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ

ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ

Date: 25 February 2025

Ms Helen Sõber

Adviser, European Union Affairs and International

Co-operation Department, Ministry of Social Affairs

Suur-Ameerika 1

Tallinn 10122, 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: http://www.euro.who.int

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

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

Dear Ms Sõber,

WHO European regional consultation meeting:

Harnessing innovation for public health in the WHO European Region 2025–2030 (Innovation4PH)

1 April 2025

The World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe is pleased to invite Member States to a

virtual consultation meeting on 1 April 2025 to further shape and contribute to the Regional

Strategy for harnessing innovation for public health 2025–2030 (Innovation4PH). This initiative

builds on the unanimous support from all Member States during the 74th session of the Regional

Committee in October 2024, where the development of this Strategy was strongly endorsed. Your

participation is crucial to refine a transformative roadmap that addresses the Region’s permacrisis

challenges, including climate-related health threats, noncommunicable diseases, an ageing

population and health workforce shortages.

Aligned with the European Programme of Work 2025–2030 (EPW 2.0), which dedicates 30% of

regional efforts to innovation, Innovation4PH aims to foster systemic transformation through

equitable, cross-sectoral solutions. The draft strategy, developed through extensive technical

consultations and aligned with global frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable

Development Goals, now seeks your expertise to ensure it reflects diverse national contexts and

prioritizes actionable, scalable approaches.

The meeting will centre on receiving your feedback to strengthen the strategy’s relevance and

impact. Key discussion areas include mechanisms to enhance collaboration across health,

environment, technology and industry sectors; strategies for scaling innovations in resource-

constrained settings; and governance models to align innovation ecosystems with public health

priorities. Member States are encouraged to share best practices, policy insights and implementation

challenges to enrich the Strategy’s practicality and adaptability. Your contributions will directly

– 2 –

shape the final Strategy to be presented at the 75th session of the Regional Committee, ensuring it

serves as a dynamic tool for building resilient, equitable public health systems across the Region.

To ensure comprehensive representation, nominations are invited from Ministry representatives

(e.g. health, digital transformation and science/technology) and national innovation leaders (e.g.

directors of innovation hubs, research institutions or public-private partnerships). Please provide us

with the names, official positions and titles, and email addresses of the proposed participants at your

earliest convenience. For your reference, we have attached the Scope and purpose document.

The working language for the event will be English, with simultaneous interpretation in Russian

provided for your convenience. Access details and preparatory documents, including the draft

strategy and provisional agenda will be shared upon confirmation of participation.

To facilitate the nomination process, we kindly request that your response be addressed to Dr

Moredreck Chibi via email [email protected], with a copy sent to Nataliia Shapoval

[email protected] .

We would appreciate receiving your country's nomination no later than 15 March 2025

Yours sincerely,

Dr Gauden Galea

Special Advisor to the Regional Director,

Special Initiative on Noncommunicable Diseases and Innovation (SNI)

WHO Regional Office for Europe

– 3 –

Enclosures:

Scope and purpose

Copy for information: Ms Agne Nettan-Sepp, Head, European Union Affairs and International Co-operation Department, Ministry of Social

Affairs, Suur-Ameerika 1 Tallinn 10129, 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 Genève CH-1209, Switzerland

H.E. Mr Andre Pung, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of the Republic of Estonia,

Frederiksgade 19, 4th floor Copenhagen K 1265, Denmark

Ms Kristina Köhler, Liaison Officer, WHO Country Office, Estonia, Paldiski Road 81 Tallinn 10617, Estonia

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

WHO European regional consultation meeting:

/2

Harnessing innovation for public health in the WHO European Region 2025–2030 (Innovation4PH) 01 April 2025 – Virtual format

Original: English

Scope and purpose

Background and rationale

The WHO European Region faces a complex array of public health challenges that demand

innovative solutions. Noncommunicable diseases, mental health disorders, antimicrobial

resistance and the health impacts of climate change are straining health systems across the Region.

Traditional approaches are proving inadequate to address these interconnected issues,

necessitating a renewed focus on harnessing innovation for public health impact. The European

Programme of Work 2025–2030 (EPW 2.0) sets an ambitious vision, dedicating 30% of efforts

towards innovation to tackle these megatrends affecting public health in the Region. To realize

this vision, the WHO Regional Office for Europe is developing a comprehensive Regional Strategy

for harnessing innovation in public health, which received unanimous support from all Member

States during the 74th session of the Regional Committee.

Recent technological advancements, including mRNA vaccines, immunotherapies and artificial

intelligence, have demonstrated the transformative potential of innovation in health. However, a

widening gap has emerged between industry-driven innovation and public health systems. Many

public health systems lack the agility to adopt these disruptive technologies due to the absence of

population-level guidance, hindering the equitable realization of their full benefits across the

Region.

The Region possesses a wealth of untapped innovation assets, including world-class research

institutions, dynamic innovation hubs and a thriving private sector. These innovation hubs and

Scope and purpose page 2 institutions represent significant opportunities for collaboration and impact. However, the

fragmentation of these resources often hinders their collective contribution to public health. A

strategic framework is needed to foster collaboration, accelerate knowledge exchange and drive

transformative health innovations across the WHO European Region.

In the context of public health, innovation is defined as the development and application of new

processes, policies, products or programmes that respond to unmet health-related patient or

societal needs and enhance quality, impact and efficiency in population health and living

environments in an equitable and sustainable way. This definition underscores the importance of

innovation to create value, focusing on solutions that address pressing public health challenges

and deliver measurable improvements in health outcomes.

Aims and objectives

To address these critical needs, the WHO Regional Office for Europe is convening a virtual WHO

European regional consultation meeting on 1 April 2025. To ensure comprehensive representation,

the meeting will draw the participation of ministry representatives (e.g. health, digital

transformation and science/technology) and national innovation leaders (e.g. directors of

innovation hubs, research institutions or public-private partnerships).

The main objectives of this consultation meeting are to:

• gather diverse perspectives and expert input on the content, themes and strategic priorities of

the new Regional Strategy for harnessing innovation in public health;

• ensure the Strategy reflects the unique needs, challenges and aspirations of all Member States

within the WHO European Region;

• foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing among participants, laying the groundwork for a

robust innovation ecosystem;

• identify concrete actions and policy recommendations to accelerate the development, adoption,

and scaling of high-impact health innovations; and

• explore mechanisms for strengthening governance, coordination and financing of health

innovation initiatives across the Region.

Approach

Scope and purpose page 3

The virtual European regional consultation meeting will employ a dynamic and interactive format

to maximize engagement and outcomes, including:

• keynote presentations on global health innovation trends and regional priorities,

• thematic working groups focused on key strategic areas to develop concrete recommendations

and action plans for strategy implementation;

• panel discussions exploring critical topics such as ethical considerations, regulatory

frameworks and public-private partnerships in health innovation; and

• case study presentations showcasing successful health innovation initiatives from across the

region.

Expected outcomes

This consultation will yield several crucial outcomes, namely:

• a comprehensive set of recommendations to inform the final content and structure of the

Regional Strategy;

• strengthened partnerships and collaborative networks among key innovation stakeholders

across the Region;

• the identification of priority areas for investment and capacity building in health innovation;

• a clear roadmap for Strategy implementation, including specific actions for Member States and

WHO; and

• enhanced understanding and ownership of the Regional Strategy among Member States and

partners.