Madam President, Director-General, ministers, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,
A year ago, in this room, the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region adopted the second European Programme of Work. The idea behind it was simple: health drives economic growth and social progress, so it belongs at the centre of public policy.
Much of what I’ll report today happened under the leadership of Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, who is currently on special leave. The team he built is carrying that work forward.
It’s been a year of hard change for this Office. We’ve reorganized around fewer, higher-impact priorities and tied our regional expertise more closely to what national governments need. Colleagues have left WHO as part of that process. I thank them, and those who remain, for seeing us through a difficult period.
Health threats don’t wait for us. This year we responded to a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in May, dengue and West Nile virus this summer, a case of pneumonia of unknown cause, and the first documented human infection with Shamonda virus. Each depended on countries sharing information quickly and openly under the International Health Regulations.
Between January and October, our teams analysed 48 000 pieces of information on potential health threats; 35 needed an operational response. For the first time, every State Party in the Region submitted its annual report under the Regulations. The European Region now has 38 classified emergency medical teams ready to deploy, with new teams certified this year in Belgium, Czechia, Denmark and Ukraine.
Prevention is still our best defence. Across our region, 91% of children receive all 3 doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. Measles cases fell by 75% in 2025 compared with 2024, and 92% of countries have now introduced human papillomavirus vaccination. Denmark is certified for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, and Albania and Armenia have met their hepatitis B control targets.
But the gaps are serious. One in 5 tuberculosis cases goes undiagnosed or unreported. Half of all HIV diagnoses come too late, and HIV deaths are rising.
Ukraine is still the largest and most complex emergency in our region. Health care there has come under attack a reported 3386 times since 2022, and those attacks have destroyed hospitals, clinics and WHO warehouses. In 2025, almost 13 million people in Ukraine needed humanitarian assistance, including 9.2 million of them who needed health assistance. Since September 2025, WHO has delivered more than US$ 21 million in medicines, equipment and supplies, and trained over 2000 health workers in emergency care. More than 7000 patients have been medically evacuated to 22 Member States since 2022, with European Union support. Thanks to Member States, this year’s WHO humanitarian appeal for Ukraine is fully funded.
Ukraine shows how health services can keep working under extreme pressure. But resilience is no substitute for peace. Only a lasting peace can secure health.
Noncommunicable diseases cause 9 in 10 deaths in our region. Our latest analysis shows that 1.8 million deaths among people under 75 could be avoided through prevention or treatment. A quarter of children aged 7–9 are either overweight or living with obesity, based on data from 37 countries in the Region.
We know that policy works when governments act on the evidence. Latvia restricted alcohol availability, and alcohol-attributable deaths fell significantly within 5 months. Norway now restricts the marketing of unhealthy food to children, including online. Serbia is introducing pictorial health warnings on tobacco products for the first time, and Georgia and Türkiye are moving closer to eliminating trans fats from their food supply.
The tobacco industry hasn’t stood still either. Our review of 20 years of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in the European Union shows real progress, but new nicotine products and flavours are opening gaps that existing laws don’t cover.
Climate change is already a health issue. The Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health issued its call to action in May, and our updated guidance helps governments protect the people most at risk from extreme heat. Italy and Kazakhstan have joined the Protocol on Water and Health this year.
People in the European Region are living longer, but not always in good health. Women in our region live longer than men yet spend a smaller share of their lives in good health: 81.3%, compared with 83.5% for men. More years lived in poor health mean more demand for long-term care, at a time when care workers are already in short supply.
Health workers are critical infrastructure. Nursing and carer shortages are hitting hard, especially in rural areas and smaller countries. Our regional analysis shows that women make up 77% of the health workforce yet earn on average up to 28% less per month than men.
Digital tools and artificial intelligence can ease some of this pressure. Romania has digitalized 200 hospitals with our support. But technology won’t change health systems unless the people who use it and deliver care are able to trust it and know how to use it.
Mental health is now a whole-of-government issue. More than 2 in 3 young adults have faced at least 1 adverse childhood experience, which affects their education and life prospects. The digital world adds new risks, and we’re giving governments the evidence they need to protect future generations from online harms.
Nearly 1 in 3 women and girls in our region will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Health systems are often the first place survivors turn to. Eight countries – Albania, France, Iceland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Spain and Tajikistan – have formed a coalition to improve that response. In Türkiye, emergency medical teams are now trained in the clinical care of survivors of rape and intimate partner violence. By the end of this year, we’ll launch an online toolkit for policy-makers, managers and health professionals.
All of this work depends on strong primary health care. In 2028, we’ll mark 50 years since the Declaration of Alma-Ata, which was signed in our region. Countries are already showing what renewal looks like. Portugal has brought hospitals and primary care together in 39 local health units. Uzbekistan is giving nurses and family doctors a bigger role, to cut unnecessary specialist visits and hospital admissions.
None of this works without trust. In a divided world, people need to trust the science, their health systems and health authorities. That’s why our new Scientific Advisory Board met for the first time in July, and why we work with 322 WHO collaborating centres, 53 of them designated this past year.
Many decisions that shape health are made by finance ministries, parliaments and security bodies. Our job is to make sure WHO’s evidence is on the table when they’re made.
WHO/Europe is changing how it works, inside the Organization and with you, the Member States. Our goal hasn’t changed: to be a reliable and trusted partner to every country in this region.
Thank you.