The Pandemic Agreement:  A Springboard for Urgent Progress or a Safety Net for Basic Commitments?

ASPHER recognizes the critical importance of a robust and comprehensive global framework to address future health emergencies. We view this agreement as a potentially very positive development, with ample space for countries to go further in their commitments and actions.

ASPHER advocates for the strengths of the Pandemic Agreement to address governance, prevention, and response deficits observed during COVID-19, aiming for higher global standards.

Download the ASPHER Briefing document & Statement on the WHA Pandemic Agreement Draft here.

On 25 March 2024, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe and ASPHER formalised many years of collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding.

The areas of collaboration outlined in the MoU include:

1) Capacity building in public health from local to European Region and global levels; 

2) Advancing on professionalization of the public health workforce; 

3) Enabling the next generation of Public Health Professionals to thrive in the public health field and make meaningful contributions; and 

4) Joint advocacy on issues of common interest. 

ASPHER, the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) and the European Council of Disaster Medicine (ECDM), have partnered together to gather experts and stakeholders across emergency, medical, political and public health disciplines on 25 March 2024 at the European Parliament for a high-level colloquium to address ‘Enhancing European Public Health Preparedness, Pre-Hospital, and Disaster Medicine’.

Outcomes of the meeting will contribute to an enhanced public health curriculum for current and future challenges threatening the public’s health and welfare in Europe.

Read the press release.

Download the meeting programme.

Supporting Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals

The ASPHER Core Curriculum Programme is a vital capacity and curriculum bulding project. Development of core public health competencies has been a common theme within ASPHER’s operations since 2006. The Core Curriculum Programme strives to address the new normal which has enveloped the public health landscape after the global pandemic of COVID-19 and other crises.

Learn more from the CCP website.

The FINAL Joint Statement by the ASPHER led EU Health Policy Platform’s thematic network on “Climate action through public health education and training” is now available for download.

Continue to stay updated through the EU Health Policy Platform! where the thematic network has shifted to an Exchange Network.

Don't miss the ASPHER Climate and Health Competencies for Public Health Professionals in Europe to support public health schools to implement education and training for public health professionals in the area of climate and health.

Learn more about all ASPHER's Climate and Health Actions here.

These syllabi provide hands-on material for people engaged in public health education on health inequities, social injustices and diversity enabling students to:

- identify mechanisms of privilege and oppression related to social identities,

- determine awareness of one’s own social identities and their relevance in the public health landscape,

- learn how to determine biases within public health structures (and oneself),

- address and change biases in their practices to ultimately reduce health inequities. 

Learn more and download the syllabi here.

Road Map to Professionalizing the Public Health Workforce

ASPHER and WHO have launched the Road Map to Professionalizing the Public Health Workforce. This Road Map offers pragmatic recommendations for action to professionalize the public health workforce as a response to growing public health needs; it puts forward levers that can be engaged to do so. It embraces, by necessity, a cross-sectoral and cross-disciplinary approach that provides clarity about the scope and the specific competencies required, identifies key action areas for professionals and identifies the roles of the various actors.

Learn more and download the Road Map here.

Watch the launch webinar recording here!

The Roadmap works in synergy with the WHO-ASPHER Competency Framework for the Public Health Workforce, part of the ongoing ASPHER Programme for Public Health Competencies