IDF Europe participated in European Public Health Alliance’s (EPHA) Annual General Assembly (AGM) on June 26 in Brussels, Belgium. IDF Europe is an active member of EPHA.
EPHA new elected Board |
IDF Europe’s former Treasurer, Sandra Bršec Rolih, contributed as EPHA’s Board member in during her last mandate. After Sandra stepped out of her position for personal reasons, IDF Europe Board member, Kyle Jacques Rose, replaced her during the remaining months of her mandate in her role as EPHA’s Board member.
EPHA thanked outgoing Board Members during the AGM and elected new members for the new mandate. These are :
- Alice Chapman-Hatchett (Health and Europe Centre)
- Jaume Costa (European Committee for Homeopathy)
- Vlad Mixich (Romanian Health Observatory)
- Vanessa Moore (European Institute of Women’s Health)
- Ann Isabelle Von Lingen (European AIDS Treatment Group)
Freek Spinnewijn (FEANTSA) was re-elected as President of EPHA, Alice Chapman-Hatchett was re-elected as Vice-President and Ber Oomen (ESNO) was elected as Treasurer.
EPHA also voted and welcomed the European Oncology Nursing Society, HIPOKRAT Association for Healthcare and Consultancy Services, and Human Rights 360 as new EPHA members.
The AGM was also an opportunity to take a stock of the year. EPHA reported on its 2018 activities in the fields of agricultural and food policy, universal access and affordable medicines, clean air, trade and trackling health inequalities, among others.
The second part of the day kicked off with the General Assembly, where members discussed the EPHA’s internal/external impact evaluation. This evaluation aimed at identifying and showing the added value that EPHA can bring to its members. Overall, the added value that EPHA brings to its members, by order of relevance, is as follows:
- EU level
- Health policies
- Members’ specific domain
- Health practices
- National level
- Regional/local level
The meeting concluded with the Annual Policy Coordination Meeting (APCM), which aimed at determining EPHA’s Strategic plan 2021-2025. This included a discussion on how to respond to public health challenges in the « VUCA » (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world. Challenges and opportunities such as health inequalities, the adverse effects of pharmaceutical products, how to communicate and advocate for prevention measures and the increasing importance of Mental Health in the public health arena were discussed.