The Regional Committee, the highest decision-making body of the WHO Regional Office for Europe (EURO), meets annually in October with the participation of high-level officials from all member countries. This year, the 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC75) took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 28-30 October 2025. Director General for EU and Foreign Affairs Dr. Aziz Alper Biten, and the accompanying delegation attended this meeting, themed "Back to the Basics," representing Turkish Ministry of Health. The sessions discussed the annual activity report of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, and adopted the Second European Programme of Work 2026-2030 (EPW2), Child and Adolescent Health and Well-being Strategy 2026–2030, Strategy for Using Innovation in Public Health 2025–2030, and the Strategy for Promoting a Lifetime of Health and Well-being 2026–2030. Moreover, new member elections were held for the WHO Executive Board and the European Standing Committee (SCRC).
Furthermore, Dr. Biten held various meetings with the WHO Regional Director for Europe, the UNFPA representative, and the heads of delegations from the United Kingdom, Albania, Romania, Ukraine, Montenegro, and Azerbaijan, and paid a courtesy visit to Ambassador of Türkiye in Copenhagen.
Türkiye was elected as a member of the SCRC for the 2024-2027 term at the 74th WHO Regional Committee for Europe. This year, at the 75th sessions, applications were received from countries to replace members whose terms had expired. In this context, Dr. Biten also extended his congratulations to the Minister of Health of Azerbaijan, who was elected to the SCRC, and to the Minister of Health of Georgia, who was nominated to the Executive Board.
At this important meeting, productive discussions were held on behalf of our Ministry and our country regarding regional collaborations, and strategic documents were adopted.