In the past years, we have learned from the Covid-19 pandemic that infectious diseases know no boundaries. Although we have seen the successful development of vaccines, we have also seen with the spread of the Delta and Omicron variants around the globe that these vaccines have not yet been available to everyone. At the conference, we want to explore ways in which the public health community can rally around the WHO health system framework to bring about better population health.

The growing health inequalities around the globe leads to a simple conclusion: Europe must take on a more active role in global health. This includes taking a stand on expansive issues such as planetary health, climate change, environmental degradation, water and food security, migration, gender, and poverty. Europe must use its knowledge and influence to balance out market forces, expand regulatory oversight and create socially responsible systems for health, especially when it comes to the distribution of vaccines and essential medicines.

Digitalization is a key area where recent developments require us to exchange ideas and come up with new approaches. The past decades have seen significant developments in data collection and processing capacity as well as eHealth applications. We need to ensure that the vast amounts of data generated are well protected on the one hand, but also being available and usable for public health interventions. We want the discussions at the 15^th EPH Conference to contribute to resilient health systems, universal health coverage (UHC), a well-trained and highly qualified clinical and public health workforce, and governance structures that take a stand and shape health systems globally.

The plenary programme will be announced shortly.