Event highlights
3 years into the war in Ukraine, WHO urges sustained health support for refugees
Bucharest, 19 February 2025 - As full-scale war in Ukraine nears the 3-year mark, millions of refugees from Ukraine living across Europe continue to face significant challenges in accessing essential health care. These refugees – who have experienced immense hardship, displacement and trauma – are in need of continued support to help rebuild their lives and secure their health.
Even in times of uncertainty, WHO remains committed to improving refugee health, supporting Member States and facilitating collaboration between key ministries and entities. By fostering a collective response and knowledge-sharing, WHO continues to play a vital role in strengthening regional health systems to help ensure refugees receive the care they need.
On 18–19 February 2025, in response to these ongoing challenges, WHO/Europe brought together key representatives from the ministries of health of Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Slovakia, along with partners from the European Union (EU), WHO and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in Bucharest, Romania, as part of its joint project with IOM and the EU.
The intercountry workshop was organized to share lessons learnt and good practices among countries, facilitate communication exchange among national health authorities on strategies to meet the health needs of refugees and displaced people from Ukraine, and identify areas of support for Member States, including cross-border collaboration.
“Romania stands united in solidarity with refugees from Ukraine, committed to adapting swiftly to new challenges, ensuring their health and dignity, alongside all vulnerable groups. Through cooperation, we strengthen our systems, uphold our responsibilities and work together to overcome any future obstacles,” stated Tiberius Brădățan, State Secretary at the Ministry of Health of Romania, during the opening ceremony.
A long-term approach
The agenda focused on a range of critical topics, including supporting displaced health workers from Ukraine to continue their professional development in the host country, tailoring public health messaging for Ukrainian communities, enhancing immunization coverage and ensuring access to health services. Representatives also discussed how to overcome barriers that prevent refugees from accessing care and the importance of strengthening the response from health systems.
“If we are serious about leaving no one behind, then the health needs of refugees and displaced people from Ukraine must remain a priority, particularly as we complete 3 years of this devastating war,” said Dr Ihor Perehinets, WHO Regional Emergency Director for Europe. “I commend the European Union, IOM and the 10 countries engaged in this project for their steadfast commitment to refugee health. WHO will continue to work alongside you to ensure that refugees from Ukraine have access to health care that meets their needs and supports their recovery.”
A coordinated, collective and long-term approach to addressing refugee health needs across Europe is essential to ensuring universal health coverage. Guided by this vision underpinned by humanitarian values, WHO will continue to collaborate with governments, IOM, the EU and relevant partners to provide sustainable solutions that safeguard the health and well-being of displaced communities.
Event notice
On 18–19 February, WHO/Europe will hold an intercountry event in Romania for the 10 countries implementing the joint project by WHO, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU) for better access to health care for refugees and displaced people from Ukraine (Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, and Slovakia).
The event seeks to create a platform for sharing lessons learned and good practices among countries, facilitate communication exchange among national health authorities on strategies to meet the health needs of refugees and displaced people from Ukraine, and identify areas of support for Member States, including cross-border collaboration.
The technical workshops will delve into 4 themes to complement the project’s deliverables:
- understanding legal frameworks and procedures to support displaced health workers from Ukraine to continue their professional development in the host country;
- strategies to ensure access to health services, with examples from health mediators, and dedicated health working groups;
- enhancing public health messaging for Ukrainian refugee communities; and
- strategies on immunization services for refugees to increase vaccination uptake.
Expected outcomes include:
- sharing lessons learned and good practices;
- strengthening Member State capacity in the technical areas covered; and
- generating key insights to take forward actions aimed at supporting the health needs of refugees and displaced people from Ukraine.
Invited participants include:
- ministry of health and/or relevant health authority representatives from the 10 implementing countries;
- key partners involved in the delivery of services for refugees and displaced people from Ukraine; and
- WHO, IOM, and EU representatives.
This is an in-person workshop that will be conducted in English. Each workshop will include group discussions on the technical areas covered by the joint action.