WHO Regional Committee for Europe elevates profile of injury prevention across the region
A historic discussion on injury prevention took place in the context of the 55th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, the annual meeting of European Ministers of Health, this year held in Bucharest from 12-15 September 2005. Delegates from many Member States emphasized their strong support of elevating the profile of injury prevention in the region, and endorsed a draft resolution on the topic. These Member States include Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation and Turkey. There were also statements of support from the European Commission and the Council of Europe. The draft resolution on injury prevention, the first of its kind to be presented to the Regional Committee for Europe, was adopted with a few minor modifications. The final resolution will be made available in the forthcoming days. The Government of the Netherlands also announced its decision to host and support the first regional meeting of Ministry of Health focal points for injury and violence prevention. This meeting will take place on 17-18 November 2005 in the Netherlands.