A delegation from EPF, composed of 8 Members of Parliament from Europe and the Middle East, was invited by WHO to participate in the World Health Summit 2022 that took place in Berlin. This was also the first time this event was co-organised with WHO.
During the summit, several pressing topics were discussed, such as: investment for health and well-being, climate change and planetary health, architecture for pandemic preparedness and response, digital transformation for health, food systems and health, resilience and equity of health systems, and global health for peace. Sexual and reproductive health and rights sessions and workshops were especially prominent at the Summit. It was in these sessions that our parliamentary delegation had the opportunity to contribute to meaningful discussion with senior members of WHO as well as other NGOs and IOs. For example, in her presentation, Dr. Sahar Alqawasmi elaborated on the social determinants of health and the unequal access to SRHR in Palestine. Similarly, Hon. Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus (MP, Poland) presented the challenging situation in Poland, where she highlighted abortion restrictions and how they violate WHO recommendations. Further, Hon. Lina Lopes (MP, Portugal) questioned the role that WHO can play in Portugal’s recent criminalisation of female genital mutilation (FGM).
Finally, the delegation had a successful meeting with Professor Pascale Allotey, the Director of SRH/HRP at WHO. Here, issues pertaining to SRHR were discussed and it was concluded with an agreement for a closer bilateral collaboration, especially in light of the upcoming International Conference on Family Planning in Thailand in November.
Photos by Julius Drechsel & EPF.
