April 28, 2021

Health panel at Milano International Session

The health project of the European Youth Parliament supported by the Wellcome Trust brings together young people from across Europe with experts and decision-makers to debate today’s pressing topics in the field of health, in connection to Sustainable Development Goal 3 of “ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all”. In 2020, various health-related topics were included in our digital events, with more than 300 young people debating different aspects of healthcare policy, including global governance, access to healthcare, or mental health.

At the Milano International Session, roughly one year after the pandemic outbreak in Europe, young participants will have a chance to speak toh Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat of the WHO Europe and Dr Andrea Ammon of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. They will gather to discuss lessons learned, progress made, and outlook of the still ongoing COVID-19 crisis. With restrictions stemming from the public health crisis having put additional pressure on the availability of civic spaces for young people, this event is an opportunity to continue engaging with the conversation surrounding recovery, and co-creating effective solutions with young people for a post-pandemic future.

Stemming from the first cycle of this project, a paper of policy recommendations collating the opinions of participants in the EYP network was produced and presented to relevant stakeholders and the wider public. The paper frames health as an underpinning and intersectional policy area across all Europe, indispensable for a prosperous future, and highlights that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused disruptions in healthcare provisions that must be mitigated by changes at all levels of the system. A young representative from the team who drafted the paper, Peter McManus, will share insights into how the paper came about, and what the thought process of those behind it was.

A recording of the event will be available here once available.