Thirtieth Standing Committee of the Regional Committee for Europe: report of the first session: virtual session, 31 October 2022

Thirtieth Standing Committee of the Regional Committee for Europe First session Virtual session, 31 October 2022 EUR/SC30(1)/REP 28 November 2022 | 220880 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH Report of the first session EUR/SC30(1)/REP page 2 Contents Opening of the session by the Chairperson ............................................................................................. 3 Adoption of the provisional agenda and provisional programme ........................................................... 3 Update by the WHO Regional Director for Europe .................................................................................. 3 Update on the health emergency response in the WHO European Region ............................................ 4 Welcome and introduction of the new members of the Standing Committee of the Regional Committee for Europe (SCRC) .................................................................................................................. 5 Election of officers of the Thirtieth SCRC ................................................................................................. 5 Reflections on the 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe ...................................... 6 Proposed programme of work for the Thirtieth SCRC ............................................................................. 7 Membership of WHO bodies and committees ........................................................................................ 8 Update on global governance by the Chairperson of the Executive Board ............................................. 8 Dates and places of future sessions ......................................................................................................... 9 Other matters; closure of the session ...................................................................................................... 9 Annex 1. Agenda..................................................................................................................................... 10 Annex 2. List of participants ................................................................................................................... 11 EUR/SC30(1)/REP page 3 OPENING OF THE SESSION BY THE CHAIRPERSON 1. The Thirtieth Standing Committee of the Regional Committee for Europe (SCRC) held its first (virtual) session on Monday, 31 October 2022. The incoming Chairperson, Dr Marat Shoranov (Kazakhstan), opened the session. He commemorated the fact that 30 years earlier, in September 1992, following a significant increase in the number of Member States, the WHO Regional Committee for Europe at its 42nd session had adopted a resolution establishing the SCRC with the aim of ensuring a continuing constructive relationship between the Regional Committee and the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe). ADOPTION OF THE PROVISIONAL AGENDA AND PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME 2. The provisional agenda (document EUR/SC30(1)/1) and provisional programme (document EUR/SC30(1)/2) of the session were adopted. UPDATE BY THE WHO REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE 3. The WHO Regional Director for Europe spoke by video link from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where he was meeting the President, Emomali Rahmon, and the Minister of Health, Dr Jamoliddin Abdullozoda, as well as health workers and partners to discuss how WHO/Europe could advance their health priorities, such as primary health care, human resources for health and immunization. 4. With regard to health emergencies, the Regional Director recalled that on 12 October he had issued a joint statement with the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, and the Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Dr Andrea Ammon, on working together towards COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccinations, while maintaining a dual-track approach in order to tackle other health problems. Rapidly responding to the health emergency in Ukraine remained WHO/Europe’s top priority. Owing to security concerns, the Regional Director had been unable to carry out a planned mission to Ukraine on 11 October, which was now rescheduled to 20 November. He would brief Member States of the WHO European Region on his return. He said that the fifth Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) Global Meeting had been held in Yerevan, Armenia, on 5–7 October, at which the EMT 2030 strategy had been launched. 5. On moving towards universal health coverage (UHC), one of the other strategic priorities in the European Programme of Work, 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health in Europe” (EPW), the Regional Director had participated in a meeting of the Nordic and Baltic regions on mental health reform held in UN City, Copenhagen, on 19 September. In the context of the Roadmap for Health and Well-being in the Western Balkans, a workshop on scaling up innovative primary care models and digital solutions to better address noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health had been held in Trieste, Italy, from 28 to 30 September. WHO/Europe had facilitated an exchange of knowledge between Ukrainian representatives (including members of the Office of the First Lady of Ukraine) and mental health policy- makers in Belgium on 24 October. The Regional Director had attended the launch of the second Primary Health Care Demonstration Platform in northern Sweden on 18 and 19 October, at which he had witnessed an emergency room operated by nurses and midwives, with doctors providing advice remotely by telemedicine. 6. The Regional Director had, earlier in the day, opened the first meeting of the Technical Advisory Group on One Health, chaired by a member of the Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development, Dr Maggie de Block. An operational framework on One Health was to be presented to the Regional Committee in 2024. The WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing had organized the tenth course on health financing for UHC from 19 to 23 September. EUR/SC30(1)/REP page 4 7. In the area of promoting health and well-being, the third strategic priority of the EPW, a new toolkit for tackling misinformation on NCDs had been launched on 21 October. Several activities had been carried out in October in connection with World Breast Cancer Awareness Month. World Polio Day on 24 October had marked a momentous achievement – 20 years of keeping the WHO European Region free of indigenous polio. WHO/Europe’s public health review of NCDs and inequities had been presented to the Ministry of Health of Belgium on 10 October. Numerous activities had been carried out in connection with the EPW flagship initiative on behavioural and cultural insights, including to increase breastfeeding rates in Kyrgyzstan and to understand refugees’ health needs in Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. 8. In order to heighten the impact of WHO’s work at country level, the Regional Director had visited Iceland (16–18 September), Kazakhstan (22–23 September), Cyprus (6–7 October) and Albania (25–26 October). During those visits, he had met senior health officials and ministers of health and government leaders, participated in international conferences and meetings, and signed biennial cooperation agreements and joint declarations of intent. Partnerships had been expanded at the World Health Summit 2022 in Berlin (16–18 October) and the European Health Forum Gastein (26–29 October). 9. A briefing on governance and budget matters would be organized for all European Member States on 11 November, at which a report on implementation of the Programme budget 2020–2021 would be presented, proposals for spending the additional US$ 40 million of regional allocation in the current Programme budget 2022–2023 would be described, and the Programme budget 2024–2025 cycle and plan would be outlined. Independent audits of the WHO/Europe main office in Copenhagen and the WHO Country Office in Moldova had been carried out. Work was being done on drawing up a paper, for consideration at the second session of the Thirtieth SCRC, on implementation of the resolution adopted by the Regional Committee at its special session in May 2022 (EUR/RCSS/R1), with particular reference to the work of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (Moscow, Russian Federation). 10. In conclusion, the Regional Director reiterated his commitment to the prevention of and response to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. He was deeply concerned about the allegation of sexual assault perpetrated by a WHO consultant at the recent World Health Summit; WHO was facilitating ongoing investigations and had zero tolerance for sexual misconduct of any kind by anyone working for the Organization. UPDATE ON THE HEALTH EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN THE WHO EUROPEAN REGION 11. The Regional Emergency Director reported that escalation and deterioration of the situation in Ukraine was triggering unprecedented further displacements. More than 6.2 million people had been internally displaced and more than 7.6 million had had to flee the country. As of 23 October, WHO had recorded 631 reports of attacks on health care facilities and 100 deaths among health personnel. WHO was responding to needs in the newly regained areas of the country through joint United Nations convoys, primarily providing essential services, trauma support and emergency medical supplies. Referrals abroad, medevac procedures and patient repatriation remained a priority. WHO was also prioritizing winterization and to date had distributed 38 generators; a further 174, together with heating devices for health care facilities, were in the pipeline for distribution. Continuous support was being provided for the repair of health infrastructure and the replacement of laboratory equipment. 12. WHO had a very decentralized operation in Ukraine, with six operational hubs in Dnipro, Kyiv, Lviv, Odessa, Poldava and Vynnytsa. In addition, refugee-hosting and refugee-receiving countries were being assisted to prepare for potential additional waves of displacement from Ukraine and the increased risk of the spread of communicable diseases. Mental health and psychosocial support were vitally important, with the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment being a priority. The major challenge going EUR/SC30(1)/REP page 5 into the winter season was to secure sustainable funding and resources to maintain and expand operations, based on the probability of escalating needs. 13. The WHO European Region had thus far seen over 260 million COVID-19 cases and more than 2.1 million deaths, and the incidence had tripled just since September. Increasing numbers were evident in western European countries, and more than 3 000 COVID-19-related deaths were occurring each week. WHO was closely monitoring new variants of concern, particularly BA.5.2 and BQ.1*. Many European Union countries were currently favouring second and third booster doses in the form of bivalent vaccinations in combination with those against seasonal influenza. At its thirteenth meeting on 13 October, the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee regarding the COVID-19 pandemic had issued a number of temporary recommendations, advising Member States inter alia to strengthen integrated surveillance and achieve further vaccination targets, develop strategies to increase affordable access to new therapeutics, and update their pandemic preparedness plans. 14. Progress had been made with regard to monkeypox: figures were declining and then stabilizing, although the risk of importation remained high. Nonetheless, the IHR Emergency Committee regarding the multicountry outbreak of monkeypox had held the consensus view, at its third meeting on 20 October, that the event continued to meet the IHR criteria for a public health emergency of international concern. 15. All those developments warranted a dedicated effort to strengthen emergency preparedness in the Region. The Regional Emergency Director looked forward to the possible initiation of a working group within the SCRC, to work towards a new regional strategy and action plan for 2024–2029 (Preparedness 2.0). 16. The SCRC member from Ukraine reported that air strikes were targeting energy supply all over Ukraine. Nearly 350 000 people in Kyiv were without electricity and 80% of the city was cut off from water supply. That situation also severely hampered the functioning of hospitals. With the winter season approaching, the situation was particularly worrisome. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW MEMBERS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONAL COMMITTEE FOR EUROPE (SCRC) 17. The Chairperson welcomed the new members from Greece (Dr Amina Gaga), Luxembourg (Dr Thomas Dentzer), Romania (Associate Professor Adriana Pistol) and Ukraine (Dr Oleksandr Komarida), as well as Dr Cathrine-Marie Lofthus, who was replacing Ms Tone Wroldsen as the member from Norway. 18. The new members described their priorities for their participation in the work of the SCRC, drawing attention in particular to the need for better quality of care throughout Europe, better access and greater equality; better working conditions for health personnel; use of digital tools; lessons to be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic; and the need for continued support to and solidarity with Ukraine. ELECTION OF OFFICERS OF THE THIRTIETH SCRC 19. In accordance with Rule 14.2.4 of the Rules of Procedure of the Regional Committee, Dr Marat Shoranov (Kazakhstan), who had been elected as Deputy Executive President of the 72nd session of the Regional Committee (RC72), was ex officio the Chairperson of the Thirtieth SCRC. 20. In view of the desirability of holding an in-person discussion concerning the appointment of a Vice-Chairperson, the Thirtieth SCRC decided to postpone a decision on that matter until its second session. EUR/SC30(1)/REP page 6 REFLECTIONS ON THE 72ND SESSION OF THE WHO REGIONAL COMMITTEE FOR EUROPE 21. The Regional Director recalled that, in his campaign for nomination three years earlier, he had pledged to innovate with respect to sessions of the Regional Committee by adopting a three-dimensional (political/technical/governance) structure, reducing their length from four to three days, and raising the level of participation as well as increasing the number of ministers present. He also noted that RC72 had been the first in-person session since 2019, and the first since he had taken office. 22. Successes of RC72 had included unexpectedly large participation (450 representatives in Tel Aviv, Israel, and 150 on the Zoom video channel) and high-level attendance (30 health ministers present); and addresses by dignitaries and invited speakers, such as the President of Israel, the First Lady of Croatia, the Prime Minister of Greece, the Prime Minister of Israel, the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, and the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau. Ministerial lunches had been organized on the Oslo Medicines Initiative and on HIV/hepatitis/sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and an attractive programme of parallel sessions had been arranged. The Regional Director also commended the efforts made by the Israeli hosts to make RC72 a great success. 23. On the other hand, a number of difficulties had been encountered. Finding consensus on nearly all proposed conference papers had been challenging. Informal consultations had been needed during the session in order to find solutions that would enable the underlying action plans to be adopted. In two cases (persons with disabilities and cervical cancer), purely procedural revised draft resolutions had been put forward; in two further cases (HIV/hepatitis/STIs and tuberculosis), a vote had been necessary. In addition, three votes by secret ballot had had to be conducted during the private meeting on nominations and elections. The Regional Director expressed his gratitude to the RC72 officers and the Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva for the crucial role they had played in resolving the issues. Guidance would be sought from the SCRC on how best to consult with Member States’ central administrations in their capital cities, as well as with their permanent missions to the United Nations in Geneva; how and when to make documents available to delegations, and what role should be played by the Secretariat. Those questions might be addressed in the context of a governance review by the SCRC subgroup on WHO/Europe’s governance. 24. Owing to the large number of interventions, numerous instances of exercise of the right of reply and the need to proceed to a vote in some cases, time management had been another concern. Discussion of some items, notably budget matters and sustainable financing, had suffered as a result. Also, time for sharing experience and discussion in parallel sessions had often been too short. The SCRC would be invited to assist in making a rigorous selection of items for inclusion on the agenda of future RC sessions. 25. Members of the SCRC overall congratulated the Regional Director and the Secretariat on the organization of a successful and remarkable Regional Committee session. At the same time, they agreed that the agenda of RC72 had been very full and perhaps too focused on showcasing health policy developments across the Region; the prioritization of agenda items in the future would be crucial. One member suggested that RC73 might focus on the four flagship initiatives in the EPW: the pan-European mental health coalition; digital health; the European Immunization Agenda 2030 and the recognition of the crossover between communicable and noncommunicable diseases; and behavioural and cultural insights. Others emphasized the need to set aside sufficient time for discussion of the programme budget, governance and strategic initiatives. The duration of Regional Committee sessions might need to be re- evaluated. Members also acknowledged the need to discuss the process whereby resolutions were drawn up, in order to ensure transparency and ownership by Member States. It was hoped that holding RC sessions later in the year would give more time for consultation with Member States. One member called for reports on WHO/Europe’s achievements to be submitted to the SCRC with a clear indication of the link between resources and results. Another member suggested that thematical consultations should be organized, clustering interlinked topics. The Executive President of RC72, attending the session as an observer, recommended that voting should be better prepared, drawing on the information of the EUR/SC30(1)/REP page 7 Secretariat, and that all papers, action plans and strategies should be passed through the SCRC for review before being sent out for consultation with Member States. She also suggested that the first meeting of the new SCRC should take place immediately after the RC session. 26. The Team Leader, Regional Governance and Languages, reported on the findings of an evaluation survey that had been sent out after RC72 to SCRC members. Respondents had welcomed the opportunity to meet in person, although the hybrid format had also been appreciated, especially for parallel sessions. Sufficient time needed to be allowed for representatives to network between meetings. The agenda must not be overloaded, and room should be left for unpredicted items. Preparations and briefing sessions on practical arrangements had been rated positively, as had logistics, although some difficulties had been experienced with airport transfers. Respondents had appreciated improvements in terms of the quality and volume of documentation, but consultation on documents needed to be improved. Plenary sessions had generally been rated positively, especially the opening ceremony and the address of the Regional Director, with lowest scores for the discussion of budget matters and the private meeting on nominations and elections. The parallel sessions and social events had also been rated positively. PROPOSED PROGRAMME OF WORK FOR THE THIRTIETH SCRC 27. The Executive Director, Executive Director's Division, recalled that one of the core tasks of the SCRC was to prepare for the next Regional Committee session. SCRC members had already suggested a number of topics for consideration at RC73 in 2023, including a focus on the four EPW flagship initiatives, primary health care, the health workforce and access to medicines. The Secretariat had also made a number of suggestions, which included antimicrobial resistance. Several final and intermediate progress reports would also need to be considered at RC73. 28. The Thirtieth SCRC had been mandated by RC72 to, inter alia, receive an update on the implementation of Regional Committee resolution EUR/RCSS/R1 at an open session in December; to follow up and organize a special SCRC session on Preparedness 2.0; to carry out a comprehensive review of governance in view of RC73, including the processes for nominations and elections; and to draw up a new strategy and action plan on the health of refugees and migrants. 29. The Director, Division of Country Support and Health Emergencies, noted that the strategy for collaboration between WHO/Europe and European Member States had been adopted by RC72 (resolution EUR/RC72/R8). As the strategy moved into its implementation phase, the continuation of the SCRC subgroup on WHO/Europe’s work at the country level would be welcomed, in order to maintain a participatory approach. Updated terms of reference for the subgroup could be presented to the Thirtieth SCRC at its second session. 30. The Executive Director, Executive Director's Division, said that the subgroup of the Twenty-ninth SCRC on WHO/Europe’s operationalization of the recommendations by the Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development had fulfilled its mandate when it had submitted four concept notes to RC72. Work on One Health and investing in health was being taken forward by the new Technical Advisory Group on One Health that had just started its work. The area of investing in health was being taken forward mainly by the WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development (Venice, Italy). The other two areas (a pan-European network for disease control, and equitable access to vaccines and medical countermeasures) were intrinsically linked to emergency preparedness and response and the elaboration of Preparedness 2.0. It was therefore suggested that the subgroup could be reconverted into a subgroup on emergency preparedness and response. That subgroup could then also make sure that its work would complement, not duplicate, the work undertaken at global level. 31. A comprehensive review of governance was traditionally undertaken in the year before the election for the post of Regional Director. Any changes that might be required in the Rules of Procedure of the Regional Committee could then be adopted at the appropriate session of the Regional Committee (RC73). The subgroup on WHO/Europe’s governance could also further explore options for improving transparency EUR/SC30(1)/REP page 8 and accountability, the resolution process and the conduct of governing bodies’ meetings as had been elaborated in the non-paper that the subgroup had already reviewed. 32. The Secretariat would prepare and distribute a proposed agenda for the Thirtieth SCRC’s second session, as well as further proposals on how to plan the work of the SCRC in the months ahead. 33. A member of the Regional Governance and Languages team presented the features of the new SharePoint site, which offered a one-stop shop for sharing documents and communicating with European members of WHO’s governing bodies (SCRC, RC, Executive Board). 34. Members of the SCRC supported the continuation of the subgroups on WHO/Europe’s work at the country level and governance. They also welcomed the idea of discussing the question of WHO outposts, such as geographically dispersed offices, project offices and technical hubs, and suggested that that lay at the intersection of country work and governance. The suggestion to set up a new subgroup on emergency preparedness and response was supported. However, the Executive President of RC72, attending the session as an observer, recalled that SCRC members had previously insisted on avoiding duplication with ongoing discussions at global level, including in the new Standing Committee for Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response. One member also suggested that the Secretariat should develop short (half a page) concept notes on the various agenda items. MEMBERSHIP OF WHO BODIES AND COMMITTEES 35. The Team Leader, Regional Governance and Languages, informed the SCRC that in 2023, Member States in the European Region would be requested to nominate candidates to fill four vacant seats on the Executive Board (two from the countries making up subregional group A and one each from groups B and C) and to elect four members of the SCRC (three from group A and one from group C). In addition, under the terms of Rule 47 of the Rules of Procedure of the Regional Committee, RC73 should appoint a six-member Regional Evaluation Group (REG) to assess the candidates for nomination to the post of Regional Director by RC74. A circular letter would be sent to all Member States in February 2023 informing them of the procedure and asking for nominations for membership of WHO bodies and committees, including the REG. 36. Elective posts at the Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly assigned to the European Region included the President of the Health Assembly, the Rapporteur of Committee A, the Vice-Chairperson of Committee B, five members of the General Committee and three members of the Committee on Credentials. At the 153rd session of the Executive Board in May 2023, a rapporteur would need to be appointed from among the European Board members, as well as one member of the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee. 37. The Thirtieth SCRC agreed to continue discussion of the item at its second session, and in particular to take a decision on whether to maintain the changes in the European Region’s procedure for nominations and elections that had been introduced on a trial basis the previous year, namely (a) to have a voluntary pre-consultation phase when Member States could express interest in serving on WHO bodies and committees, and (b) to have an open and structured assessment of nominations by the SCRC and staged communication of its outcomes to candidate countries and all European Member States. UPDATE ON GLOBAL GOVERNANCE BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 38. The Chairperson of the Executive Board reported on the meeting of the Officers of the Board and the WHO Director-General that had been held on 14 October.1 Noting that the agenda of the 152nd session of 1 Note for the record available at https://apps.who.int/gb/gov/assets/NFR-14-10-2022-en.pdf. EUR/SC30(1)/REP page 9 the Executive Board (EB152) (Geneva, 30 January – 7 February 2023) already consisted of 27 items, the Officers had reviewed 12 proposals for new items and had recommended that many should be accommodated by existing ones. 39. With the aim of making discussions at the Executive Board more efficient and effective, the Officers had suggested a number of approaches, including providing an alternative, dedicated space for information on national experiences and good practices. The forthcoming Executive Board retreat offered a good opportunity to consider agenda management measures in greater detail and to discuss strengthening the role of the Executive Board in the governance of WHO. The retreat should focus on its objective and avoid political issues and technical public health matters. In the interests of transparency, a short summary of discussions at the forthcoming retreat would be prepared, but comments recorded would not be attributed to individual participants. 40. Members of the SCRC fully supported the measures being taken to better manage the agenda of EB152, in order to make the Executive Board work more strategically, and the suggestion to provide a dedicated space for the sharing of national experiences. DATES AND PLACES OF FUTURE SESSIONS 41. The Thirtieth SCRC was expected to hold five regular meetings: the second session would take place on 1 and 2 December in a hybrid format from Copenhagen and would be open to all Member States; the third session would be held in Astana, Kazakhstan (to be confirmed) on 14 and 15 March 2023; the fourth session would take place in a hybrid format from Copenhagen, open to all Member States, on 8 June 2023; and the fifth and final session would be held in a format and on a date to be decided right before the next Regional Committee session. OTHER MATTERS; CLOSURE OF THE SESSION 42. The SCRC member from Czechia informed participants that her country, which currently held the presidency of the Council of the European Union, would host an event in Prague on 30 November focused on One Health and global health in Europe, in conjunction with Czech organizations such as the national medical association and the One Europe for Global Health coalition. 43. After the customary exchange of courtesies, the Chairperson declared the session closed. EUR/SC30(1)/REP page 10 Annex 1. Agenda 1. Opening of the session by the Chairperson 2. Update by the WHO Regional Director for Europe 3. Update on the health emergency response in the WHO European Region 4. Adoption of the provisional agenda and provisional programme 5. Welcome and introduction of the new members of the Standing Committee of the Regional Committee for Europe (SCRC) 6. Election of officers of the Thirtieth SCRC 7. Reflections on the 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe 8. Proposed programme of work for the Thirtieth SCRC 9. Membership of WHO governing bodies and committees 10. Update on global governance by the Chairperson of the Executive Board, in their capacity as the link between the Executive Board and the SCRC 11. Dates and places of future sessions 12. Other matters; closure of the session EUR/SC30(1)/REP page 11 Annex 2. List of participants Present Czechia, Dr Alena Šteflová Czechia, Ms Marcela Kubicova France, Professor Jérôme Salomon France, Ms Christine Berling France, Dr Roxane Berjaoui Greece, Dr Asimina (Mina) Gaga Greece, Dr Ioanna Bakopoulou Kazakhstan, Dr Marat Edigeevich Shoranov1 Kazakhstan, Ms Aigul Baisalykova Kazakhstan, Ms Yuliya Suchshenko Luxembourg, Dr Thomas Dentzer Montenegro, Ms Mirjana Djuranović Montenegro, Dr Milica Stanisic Norway, Dr Cathrine Marie Lofthus Norway, Mr Arne-Petter Sanne Norway, Mr Eivind Berg Weibust Romania, Dr Adriana Pistol Romania, Dr Radu Cucuiu Spain, Dr Amós José García Rojas Turkmenistan, Dr Sachly Nuryyeva Turkmenistan, Dr Maral Gujikova Ukraine, Dr Oleksandr Komarida Ukraine, Ms Alisa Hondarieva United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ms Anna Wechsberg United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ms Nicky Shipton-Yates Observers Dr Marc Danzon, WHO Regional Director for Europe emeritus Professor Michel Kazatchkine, Special Envoy to the Regional Director on Tuberculosis, AIDS and hepatitis, Special Advisor to Regional Director Dr Hans Troedsson, Special Advisor to Regional Director Dr Anne Marie Worning, Special Advisor to Regional Director Ambassador Ms Nora Kronig Romero, Executive President of the 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe 1 Chair of the Thirtieth SCRC. EUR/SC30(1)/REP page 12 Dr Kerstin Vesna Petrič, Chairperson of the Executive Board, and link between the Executive Board and Thirtieth SCRC Mr Andrej Martin Vujkovac, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Slovenia to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva = = =