Developments in the South-East European Network on Workers Health

The countries from South East Europe (SEE) faced increasing needs to develop and adapt the occupational health (OH) policies, systems and services to the new political and socio-economic conditions in the last two decades. In Skopje, 2006, during WHO International Workshop on “Strengthening the Health System to address Occupational Health Risks in the SEE”, OH experts from SEE, initiated the establishment of SEE Network on Workers Health as a sustainable framework for strengthening OH systems and building capacities in the SEE sub-region through international cooperation.  SEE Network on Workers Health  is a regional network of WHO collaborating centres for OH, OH institutes and WHO national focal points from nine SEE countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey),  collaborating with the WHO Regional Office for Europe.  The goal of the SEE Network is to improve workers’ health and well-being through the  implementation of the WHO recommendations, ILO Conventions and EU principles on occupational health and safety. It contributes  for the implementation of WHO Global Plan of Action on Workers’ Health and the  formulation and  implementation of the WHO Biennial Collaborative Agreement’ activities  in the area of OH in the SEE countries.  In the last five years, the development in the SEE Network   demonstrates the continuity, visibility and sustainability of the realized activities with social capital as a added value. Through  organizing  annual meetings, supporting and participating in different  projects, including ongoing activities, development of  new models for organization and provision of occupational health services (OHS) with Basic OHS concept, specially for  the underserved  and vulnerable groups; OH capacity building supported  by an internet based platform and  SEEWA (Southeast European Workplace Academy) programme for training and education of OH professionals, SEE Network on Workers’ Health is recognized as the key process of sub-regional collaboration in South-East Europe.