Sixty-fifth Regional Committee for Europe: Vilnius, 14–17 September 2015: resolution: priorities for health systems strengthening in the WHO European Region 2015–2020: walking the talk on people centredness

W ORL D H E A LT H O RG A N I Z AT IO N R EG I ON A L O F F I C E FO R EU R O P E UN City, Marmorvej 51, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark Telephone: +45 45 33 70 00 Fax: +45 45 33 70 01 Email: governance@euro.who.int Web: http://www.euro.who.int/en/who-we-are/governance Regional Committee for Europe EUR/RC65/R5 65th session Vilnius, Lithuania, 14–17 September 2015 16 September 2015 150750 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH Resolution Priorities for health systems strengthening in the WHO European Region 2015–2020: walking the talk on people centredness The Regional Committee, Recalling resolution WHA60.27 on strengthening health information systems; Recalling resolutions WHA63.16 on the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel and WHA64.7 on strengthening nursing and midwifery; Recalling resolution WHA64.9 on sustainable health financing structures and universal coverage; Recalling resolution WHA66.23 on transforming health workforce education in support of universal health coverage; Recalling resolutions WHA67.20 on regulatory system strengthening for medical products, WHA67.21 on access to biotherapeutic products, including similar biotherapeutic products, and ensuring their quality, safety and efficacy, WHA67.22 on access to essential medicines, and WHA67.23 on health intervention and technology assessment in support of universal health coverage; EUR/RC65/R5 page 2 Recalling the Ljubljana Charter on Reforming Health Care in Europe, adopted at the WHO European Conference on Health Care Reforms (Ljubljana, Slovenia, 18– 19 June 1996); Recalling resolution EUR/RC58/R4, by which it endorsed the Tallinn Charter: Health Systems for Health and Wealth, adopted at the WHO European Ministerial Conference on Health Systems (Tallinn, Estonia, 25–27 June 2008); Bearing in mind that the WHO European policy framework for health and well- being, Health 2020, adopted in resolution EUR/RC62/R4 by the 62nd session of the Regional Committee in 2012, underscores the need for intersectoral action to achieve better and equitable health outcomes; Recalling resolutions EUR/RC59/R3 and EUR/RC63/R5 on the policy lessons and recommendations of the impact of the economic crisis on health and health systems performance following the high-level meetings on health systems in times of global economic crisis (Oslo, Norway, 1–2 April 2009 and 17–18 April 2013); Recalling resolution EUR/RC62/R5, by which it endorsed the European Action Plan for Strengthening Public Health Capacities and Services as a necessary component of health improvement in the WHO European Region; Noting that moving towards universal health coverage requires policies that expand access to quality health services, including public health, safe medicines and competent workforce for all, and provide financial protection, especially against the risk of impoverishment as a result of paying out-of-pocket for care; Having considered Priorities for health systems strengthening in the European Region 2015–2020: walking the talk on people centredness (document EUR/RC65/13) and the Final report on implementation of the Tallinn Charter – summary (document EUR/RC65/8); EUR/RC65/R5 page 3 1. WELCOMES the progress accomplished by Member States in the framework of the follow-up to the WHO European Ministerial Conference on Health Systems, in Tallinn, Estonia, on 25–27 June 2008; 2. EXPRESSES its renewed commitment to the values of solidarity, equity and participation as enshrined in the Ljubljana Charter, the Tallinn Charter and Health 2020, the WHO European policy framework, as foundations for health systems strengthening; 3. WELCOMES the strategic priorities of the WHO Regional Office for Europe in the area of health systems strengthening for 2015–2020; 4. CALLS ON Member States:1 (a) to transform health services to meet the health challenges of the 21st century moving towards a proactive, people-centred approach involving better coordination and delivery of health promotion, disease prevention, health care and condition management throughout the life-course aiming at improved quality and health outcomes and reduced health inequalities within a comprehensive continuum of individual- and population-based health services; (b) to work towards achieving and sustaining universal health coverage for a Europe free of impoverishing out-of-pocket payments; (c) to note that health systems strengthening activities also require appropriate policies for ensuring an adequate health workforce, ensuring equitable access to services and interventions, including population-level public health services, as well as to cost-effective medicines and technologies, and strengthening quality health information and health information systems as the key foundations to evaluate and further underpin them; (d) to promote transparency and accountability for people-centred health systems strengthening, including through the promotion and use of health systems performance and other relevant information and evidence in decision-making, in order to better meet the needs of the people and attain health system goals, ensuring that robust health systems strategies, consistent with WHO and national values are linked to clear performance expectations; 1 And regional economic integration organizations, where applicable EUR/RC65/R5 page 4 (e) to facilitate and accelerate monitoring of the extent to which people are protected against financial risk when using health services, and to identify and implement policies to improve financial protection, especially for vulnerable groups of people; 5. REQUESTS the Regional Director: (a) to continue providing leadership in the field of value-driven health systems strengthening in collaboration with partners; (b) to support Member States in strengthening their health systems in line with the strategic priorities for the WHO Regional Office as set out in document EUR/RC65/13 and pursue the commitments of health systems strengthening agreed in the Tallinn Charter, in partnership with international, intergovernmental and non-State actors; (c) to provide Member States with tools and support for activities described under OP4, in particular for monitoring financial protection and for policy analysis, development, implementation and evaluation; (d) to develop, taking into account the specific needs of the European Region and minimizing any additional costs, a framework for action to implement the WHO global strategy on people-centred and integrated health services to be adopted at the Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly, for submission to the Regional Committee at its 66th session in 2016; (e) to report on implementation of this resolution, focusing mainly on the extent of financial protection at the regional level and on policy options for improving financial protection to the Regional Committee at its 68th session in 2018; and (f) to provide a final report to the Regional Committee at its 71st session in 2021. = = =