CIS Secretary-General Sergey Lebedev met with Dr Hans Kluge, Regional Director for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Sergey Lebedev expressed gratitude to the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Kluge, for the initiative to hold a meeting to discuss cooperation on matters related to preserving the health of citizens in the CIS countries. He noted that this meeting takes place on the eve of international events in 2026, which has been declared the Year of Health Protection in the Commonwealth. The CIS Secretary-General highlighted that representatives of the WHO Regional Office for Europe participated in the development of the Action Plan for implementing the Year of Health Protection in the CIS.
Sergey Lebedev informed that upon the invitation of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the participation of CIS Deputy Secretary-General Nurlan Seitimov is planned in the High-Level Dialogue on Global Health Diplomacy, which will be held in Ashgabat in February of this year, during Turkmenistan’s chairmanship of the CIS.
Dr Hans Kluge proposed deepening joint efforts in implementing artificial intelligence for diabetes prevention and control, intensifying collaborative work on introducing a comprehensive intersectoral approach to tuberculosis, including the migration aspect, and suggested exploring the possibility of conducting joint research on non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The CIS Secretary-General noted that the Commonwealth operates the CIS Council for Cooperation in Health, which pays special attention to the issues discussed during the meeting.
The meeting was also attended by:
- CIS Deputy Secretary-General Nurlan Seitimov;
- Deputy Director of the Department for Cooperation in Political, Humanitarian and Social Spheres Khalmurat Rashidov;
- Advisor to the Department for Cooperation in Political, Humanitarian and Social Spheres, Secretary of the CIS Council for Cooperation in Health Elena Shamal;
- Regional Advisor for Subregional Partnerships, Programme Management Division, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Bakhtygul Karriyeva.
For reference
All the CIS member states are members of the World Health Organization and actively participate in WHO activities. The CIS Executive Committee has had observer status at the UN General Assembly since 1994. Sharing the goals and principles of the United Nations, the CIS Executive Committee actively participates in the sessions and work of the United Nations General Assembly as an observer.