"The SEE Health Network held its semi-annual plenary meeting on 10 and 11 December in Tel Aviv, Israel. Ambassadors of the SEEHN Member States Serbia, Croatia and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia took part at this meeting and this will be further employed as regular SEEHN practice focused at strengthening health diplomacy and the political component of the regional cooperation in public health in the SEE in line with the SEEHN Banja Luka Pledge (2011).
SEEHN scaled up partnerships for public health signing Memorandum of Understanding with Project HOPE, focusing on further implementation of the Banja Luka Pledge II pillar on equity and accountability in health through practicing health in all policies approach. The Plenary reviewed significant action performed, based on the Israeli Presidency report presented.
Dr Joanna Nurse presented an overview of H2020 and the European Action Plan on strengthening public health services and as a group, discussed concrete how to co-ordinate planning over the coming years to align the work of the SEEHN to Health 2020 and to adapt the EAP for strengthening public health to the setting and priorities of the SEEHN.
A workshop on further implementation of the Banja Luka Pledge II pillar on equity and accountability in health through practicing health in all policies approach was held. Dr. Chris Brown outlined different approaches to improving policies and partnership working across other sectors in order to improve health and address inequalities in health. Next steps were identified regarding how to take this work forward in the SEEHN.
The Plenary elected a new Executive Committee after 6 years of the extended mandate of Mrs. Snezhana Chichevalieva as a Chair, and the retirement of Dr. Maria Ruseva from WHO/EURO. Dr. Goran Cherkez will perform as a Chair of the Executive Committee in 2013.
SEEHN continues to develop and strengthen its independent sub-regional structures: The Deputy Minister Jovica Andovski from the Host Country of the SEEHN Secretariat reported at the Plenary that the Secretariat has been registered as an international entity and preparations for the inauguration event have been already started. The Secretariat will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister of the Host Country, Mr. Nikola Gruevski, in the presence of the Regional Director of the WHO/EURO, the Ambassadors, heads of the international organisations that are SEEHN partners, Minister of Health of Slovenia, as the representative of the SEEHN partner countries and other high level political and technical persons from the SEEHN member states and SEE regional cooperation structures, on 3-4 February 2013, in Skopje, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia". “We are happy to host the Seat of the Secretariat and to provide for the implementation of the SEEHN Agreement on the Arrangements for the Seat of the Secretariat that was ratified by the Macedonian Parliament and signed by other 9 member States”- Deputy Minister Jovica Andovski said.
