On 11–12 April, ministers and other delegates from the 11 countries in the WHO European Region with populations of 2 million or less will meet in Limassol, Cyprus, for the Tenth High-level Meeting of the Small Countries Initiative (SCI).
Small countries share similar characteristics in terms of their political landscapes, economic features and resource capacities. The annual high-level meeting offers these countries a platform to discuss health agendas, collaborative efforts and solutions to meet shared needs.
This year, the meeting will be hosted by the Government of Cyprus and will focus primarily on 2 key areas:
- cancer, including population screening programmes and paediatric cancer
- health and climate change, including the impact and experiences of small countries.
During the meeting, countries will also report progress since the Ninth High-level Meeting on the following activities:
- the Coalition on Health and Tourism
- the development of national strategies on human resources for health
- the accessibility, availability and affordability of medicines
- the globalization of the SCI.
The meeting is expected to culminate with the signing of the Cyprus Statement.
The Small Countries Initiative
Established in 2013, the SCI is a platform through which Member States in the WHO European Region with populations of 2 million or less work together to address common issues and share experiences to improve health in their countries.
In 2022 the Roadmap Towards Better Health in Small Countries in the WHO European Region, 2022–2025, was endorsed at the Eighth High-level Meeting of the SCI in Bečići, Montenegro. In recognition of the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, to pursue agile transformation and innovation, and to accelerate action, the Roadmap’s objectives are to:
- place health and well-being high on the key political agendas of small countries
- advocate for the needs of small countries at regional and international levels
- promote investment for health and well-being while leaving no one behind
- build a solutions platform for better health and more resilient health systems
- measure progress.
The countries in the SCI are: Andorra, Cyprus, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino and Slovenia.