Nomineerimine
| Dokumendiregister | Sotsiaalministeerium |
| Viit | 1.4-2/2275-1 |
| Registreeritud | 08.09.2025 |
| Sünkroonitud | 09.09.2025 |
| Liik | Sissetulev kiri |
| Funktsioon | 1.4 EL otsustusprotsess ja rahvusvaheline koostöö |
| Sari | 1.4-2 Rahvusvahelise koostöö korraldamisega seotud kirjavahetus (Arhiiviväärtuslik) |
| Toimik | 1.4-2/2025 |
| Juurdepääsupiirang | Avalik |
| Juurdepääsupiirang | |
| Adressaat | WHO/Europe Assistive Technology Programme |
| Saabumis/saatmisviis | WHO/Europe Assistive Technology Programme |
| Vastutaja | Agne Nettan-Sepp (Sotsiaalministeerium, Kantsleri vastutusvaldkond, Euroopa Liidu ja väliskoostöö osakond) |
| Originaal | Ava uues aknas |
Failid
Tähelepanu! Tegemist on välisvõrgust saabunud kirjaga. |
Dear National Counterpart,
Please find attached nomination letter for your kind attention, noting that the deadline for nomination is 25th September 2025
Thank you and best regards,
Health Workforce and Service Delivery Programme
WHO Regional Office for Europe
Copenhagen, Denmark
Web: www.who.int
Follow WHO on Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram
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: 5 September 2025
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,
Technical briefing to WHO European Region Member States:
Assistive Technology Repair, Refurbishment, and Recycling
Wednesday 8 October 2025 10:00-11:30am CET
The WHO Regional Office for Europe is pleased to host a regional virtual technical briefing to support the
development and policies and programmes relating to the repair, refurbishment, and recycling of
assistive products in your national context. I am delighted to invite you to nominate two representatives from
your country to participate in the technical briefing.
WHO/Europe is providing technical support to Member States towards integrated, people-centred assistive
technology provision. This approach includes access to available, affordable and quality assistive products,
whilst considering need to integrate concepts of sustainability into assistive technology systems and policies.
The technical briefing will take place on Wednesday 8 October 2025 from 10:00-11:30am Central
European Time. Please find the scope and purpose and provisional programme for the event attached.
The nominated representatives should be officials from the ministries responsible for assistive technology,
ideally those responsible for setting assistive technology policy relating to assistive product repair,
refurbishment, and recycling, and should have the capacity to represent their organization and help advance this
topic nationally. Presentations will be in English, with simultaneous Russian interpretation. Closed captioning
will be available during the briefing.
Kindly provide us your two nominations. Please include their names, job titles, organizations, departments and
email addresses, at your earliest convenience and no later than 25 September 2025. Thereafter, we shall
communicate with them directly and share the necessary documentation and administrative information
including the videoconference (Zoom) link to join on the day. Shirin Kiani, Technical Officer, Disability,
Assistive Technology, Ear/Eye Care is responsible for this activity and it would be appreciated if you would
send your two nominations to Shirin at [email protected] with [email protected] in copy.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Natasha Azzopardi Muscat
Director, Division of Health Systems
WHO Regional Office for Europe
– 2 –
Encls:
Scope and purpose
Provisional Programme
Copy for information to:
Ms Agne Nettan-Sepp, 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
Provisional programme - Page 1 of 1
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
Assistive Technology Repair, Refurbishment, and Recycling Technical briefing to WHO European Region Member States
/1
Wednesday 8 October 2025 10:00-11:30am CET 1 Sept 2025 Original: English
Provisional programme
Assistive Technology Repair, Refurbishment, and Recycling Wednesday 8 October 2025 10:00-11:30am CET
10:00-10:10 Welcome and objectives
Shirin Kiani, Technical Officer Health Workforce and Service Delivery Unit WHO Regional Office for Europe
10:10-10:15 Sustainable Health systems: Increasing our Impact while Reducing our Footprint Tomas Zapata, Regional Advisor and Unit Head
Health Workforce and Service Delivery Unit WHO Regional Office for Europe
10:15-10:25 The transformative power of access to quality assistive technology
TBC ATscale, the global partnership for Assistive Technology, hosted by UNOPS
10:25-10:40 Repair, Refurbishment, and Recycling as part of a Sustainable Assistive Technology Ecosystem Emma M. Smith, Technical Specialist Health Workforce and Service Delivery Unit WHO Regional Office for Europe
10:40-11:05 National Perspectives on Repair, Refurbishment and Recycling
Representatives from WHO Member States Chaired by Shirin Kiani, Technical Officer Health Workforce and Service Delivery Unit WHO Regional Office for Europe
11:05-11:30 Questions and closure Shirin Kiani, Technical Officer Health Workforce and Service Delivery Unit WHO Regional Office for Europe
Scope and purpose - Page 1 of 2
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
Assistive Technology Repair, Refurbishment, and Recycling
Technical briefing to WHO European Region Member States /1
Wednesday 8 October 2025 10:00-11:30 CET 1 Sept 2025
Original: English
Scope and purpose
Background
Access to appropriate assistive technology (AT) is essential for enabling participation,
independence, and well-being for people with functional difficulties. According to the Global
Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT), as many as 1 in 3 people need access to assistive
products globally, while only 1 in 10 have access to the products they need.1 Many countries
face challenges in ensuring sustainable access to quality assistive products due to limited
resources, supply chain disruptions, and market conditions.
The principles of repair, refurbishment, and recycling offer a pathway to extend the life cycle
of assistive products, reduce waste, and improve affordability and availability. These practices
can also support local economies, promote circularity, reduce the environmental footprint of AT
provision, and reduce overall cost to the health system.
Despite their potential, the practice of repair, refurbishment, and recycling are often
underutilized or overlooked altogether due to a lack of policy frameworks, technical guidance,
and infrastructure. This briefing aims to raise awareness and build capacity among Member
States to integrate repair, refurbishment, and recycling strategies into national AT systems.
The WHO Regional Office for Europe provides technical support on the procurement and
provision of assistive products in selected Member States. Technical support provided to date
has largely focused on policies, including data and AT financing, product standards and
1World Health Organization, Global Report on Assistive Technology
Scope and purpose - Page 2 of 2
specifications, and personnel capacity building for the provision of AT services. Given the
significant challenges faced by member states in procurement and access to high quality,
appropriate assistive products, there is a clear need for capacity building relating to additional
concepts within service provision, notably repair, refurbishment, and recycling of products.
Aim
This technical briefing aims to support Member States in understanding and applying the
principles of repair, refurbishment, and recycling of assistive technology as part of sustainable
and inclusive AT systems.
Objectives
• Introduce the concepts of repair, refurbishment, and recycling of assistive technology and
their relative advantages and disadvantages within AT systems
• Share country experiences and practical examples of implementing repair, refurbishment,
and recycling strategies.
• Encourage dialogue on policy, regulatory, and operational considerations for repair,
refurbishment, and recycling of assistive products.
Date and time
One 90-minute technical briefing will be held virtually. The briefing will take place on
Wednesday 8 October 2025 from 10:00-11:30 Central European Time.
Participants
Participants will include representatives from relevant ministries of WHO European Region
Member States. Each Member State is invited to nominate up to two participants for the meeting.
Participants are likely to be representatives from health and social ministries and to be
responsible for assistive technology policy development, and where possible, individuals
responsible for repair, reuse, and recycling programs.
Languages and accessibility
The presentations will be provided in English, and simultaneous Russian interpretation will be
provided. Preparatory documents will be available in English and Russian. Closed captioning
will be available during the briefing.
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: 5 September 2025
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,
Technical briefing to WHO European Region Member States:
Assistive Technology Repair, Refurbishment, and Recycling
Wednesday 8 October 2025 10:00-11:30am CET
The WHO Regional Office for Europe is pleased to host a regional virtual technical briefing to support the
development and policies and programmes relating to the repair, refurbishment, and recycling of
assistive products in your national context. I am delighted to invite you to nominate two representatives from
your country to participate in the technical briefing.
WHO/Europe is providing technical support to Member States towards integrated, people-centred assistive
technology provision. This approach includes access to available, affordable and quality assistive products,
whilst considering need to integrate concepts of sustainability into assistive technology systems and policies.
The technical briefing will take place on Wednesday 8 October 2025 from 10:00-11:30am Central
European Time. Please find the scope and purpose and provisional programme for the event attached.
The nominated representatives should be officials from the ministries responsible for assistive technology,
ideally those responsible for setting assistive technology policy relating to assistive product repair,
refurbishment, and recycling, and should have the capacity to represent their organization and help advance this
topic nationally. Presentations will be in English, with simultaneous Russian interpretation. Closed captioning
will be available during the briefing.
Kindly provide us your two nominations. Please include their names, job titles, organizations, departments and
email addresses, at your earliest convenience and no later than 25 September 2025. Thereafter, we shall
communicate with them directly and share the necessary documentation and administrative information
including the videoconference (Zoom) link to join on the day. Shirin Kiani, Technical Officer, Disability,
Assistive Technology, Ear/Eye Care is responsible for this activity and it would be appreciated if you would
send your two nominations to Shirin at [email protected] with [email protected] in copy.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Natasha Azzopardi Muscat
Director, Division of Health Systems
WHO Regional Office for Europe
– 2 –
Encls:
Scope and purpose
Provisional Programme
Copy for information to:
Ms Agne Nettan-Sepp, 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
Provisional programme - Page 1 of 1
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
Assistive Technology Repair, Refurbishment, and Recycling Technical briefing to WHO European Region Member States
/1
Wednesday 8 October 2025 10:00-11:30am CET 1 Sept 2025 Original: English
Provisional programme
Assistive Technology Repair, Refurbishment, and Recycling Wednesday 8 October 2025 10:00-11:30am CET
10:00-10:10 Welcome and objectives
Shirin Kiani, Technical Officer Health Workforce and Service Delivery Unit WHO Regional Office for Europe
10:10-10:15 Sustainable Health systems: Increasing our Impact while Reducing our Footprint Tomas Zapata, Regional Advisor and Unit Head
Health Workforce and Service Delivery Unit WHO Regional Office for Europe
10:15-10:25 The transformative power of access to quality assistive technology
TBC ATscale, the global partnership for Assistive Technology, hosted by UNOPS
10:25-10:40 Repair, Refurbishment, and Recycling as part of a Sustainable Assistive Technology Ecosystem Emma M. Smith, Technical Specialist Health Workforce and Service Delivery Unit WHO Regional Office for Europe
10:40-11:05 National Perspectives on Repair, Refurbishment and Recycling
Representatives from WHO Member States Chaired by Shirin Kiani, Technical Officer Health Workforce and Service Delivery Unit WHO Regional Office for Europe
11:05-11:30 Questions and closure Shirin Kiani, Technical Officer Health Workforce and Service Delivery Unit WHO Regional Office for Europe
Scope and purpose - Page 1 of 2
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
Assistive Technology Repair, Refurbishment, and Recycling
Technical briefing to WHO European Region Member States /1
Wednesday 8 October 2025 10:00-11:30 CET 1 Sept 2025
Original: English
Scope and purpose
Background
Access to appropriate assistive technology (AT) is essential for enabling participation,
independence, and well-being for people with functional difficulties. According to the Global
Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT), as many as 1 in 3 people need access to assistive
products globally, while only 1 in 10 have access to the products they need.1 Many countries
face challenges in ensuring sustainable access to quality assistive products due to limited
resources, supply chain disruptions, and market conditions.
The principles of repair, refurbishment, and recycling offer a pathway to extend the life cycle
of assistive products, reduce waste, and improve affordability and availability. These practices
can also support local economies, promote circularity, reduce the environmental footprint of AT
provision, and reduce overall cost to the health system.
Despite their potential, the practice of repair, refurbishment, and recycling are often
underutilized or overlooked altogether due to a lack of policy frameworks, technical guidance,
and infrastructure. This briefing aims to raise awareness and build capacity among Member
States to integrate repair, refurbishment, and recycling strategies into national AT systems.
The WHO Regional Office for Europe provides technical support on the procurement and
provision of assistive products in selected Member States. Technical support provided to date
has largely focused on policies, including data and AT financing, product standards and
1World Health Organization, Global Report on Assistive Technology
Scope and purpose - Page 2 of 2
specifications, and personnel capacity building for the provision of AT services. Given the
significant challenges faced by member states in procurement and access to high quality,
appropriate assistive products, there is a clear need for capacity building relating to additional
concepts within service provision, notably repair, refurbishment, and recycling of products.
Aim
This technical briefing aims to support Member States in understanding and applying the
principles of repair, refurbishment, and recycling of assistive technology as part of sustainable
and inclusive AT systems.
Objectives
• Introduce the concepts of repair, refurbishment, and recycling of assistive technology and
their relative advantages and disadvantages within AT systems
• Share country experiences and practical examples of implementing repair, refurbishment,
and recycling strategies.
• Encourage dialogue on policy, regulatory, and operational considerations for repair,
refurbishment, and recycling of assistive products.
Date and time
One 90-minute technical briefing will be held virtually. The briefing will take place on
Wednesday 8 October 2025 from 10:00-11:30 Central European Time.
Participants
Participants will include representatives from relevant ministries of WHO European Region
Member States. Each Member State is invited to nominate up to two participants for the meeting.
Participants are likely to be representatives from health and social ministries and to be
responsible for assistive technology policy development, and where possible, individuals
responsible for repair, reuse, and recycling programs.
Languages and accessibility
The presentations will be provided in English, and simultaneous Russian interpretation will be
provided. Preparatory documents will be available in English and Russian. Closed captioning
will be available during the briefing.