At the 75th WHO Regional Committee for Europe, EUPHA President Tit Albreht delivered a statement on behalf of EUPHA and co-signatories NSA, welcoming the new European Programme of Work (EPW2): United Action for Better Health. The statement called for investment in the public health workforce as the foundation of Europe’s resilience and collective well-being.
Dear Regional Director, chair and distinguished delegates,
On behalf of the co-signatories NSA, EUPHA warmly welcome the new European Programme of Work, United Action for Better Health. It rightly places health at the heart of Europe’s resilience, as a foundation of peace, prosperity, and social cohesion.
The experience of recent years has shown that resilient health systems are built above all on people: the skilled, dedicated professionals who form the public health and related workforce. From epidemiologists to educators, from data scientists to public health professionals and community health workers, they are the living infrastructure of preparedness and prevention. Their knowledge, integrity, and connection to communities are what sustain trust, our most valuable form of health capital.
To turn this vision into action, we call for stronger investment in training, continuous learning, and representation of this workforce at all levels of governance. Public health must become a learning system, one that evolves through regular capacity-building, exchange, and shared standards across the Region. Continuous professional development should include not only technical skills but also competencies in communication, ethics, leadership, and information literacy to address the growing infodemic and digital transformations.
We also emphasise the importance of representation. Public health professionals and their associations must have a seat at the table where strategies are designed and resources decided. This participation ensures that workforce realities inform policy, and that innovations are shaped by those who implement them on the ground.
EUPHA stands ready to work alongside WHO and Member States to build inclusive, interconnected learning ecosystems, combining the excellence of academia, the reach of community networks, and the operational experience of practitioners. Together, we can secure a future where every country has a confident, competent, and supported public health workforce, one that is equipped to counter misinformation, adapt to new challenges, and protect the right to health for all.
Health is not only an outcome; it is the pillar of resilience on which our common future depends. Let us invest in those who make that future possible, our public health workforce.
Thank you.
Signatories:
• EUPHA European Public Health Association
• ASPHER Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region
• EFNNMA (European Forum of National Nursing and Midwifery Associations)
• European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA)
• European Forum for Primary Care (EFPC)
• European Hospital and Healthcare Federation (HOPE)
• European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP)
• European Public Health Alliance (EPHA)
• European Respiratory Society (ERS)
• EuroHealthNet
• International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC)
• International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation – European Regional Office (IPSF)
• World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA)
