On 16–17 March 2026, WHO/Europe will convene a subregional technical workshop in Yerevan, Armenia, bringing together Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries to strengthen the education and regulation of health professionals, with a focus on nurses and doctors.
Held as part of the “Health Resilience in the Eastern Partnership” programme, funded by the European Union (EU), the workshop will bring together participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine to exchange experiences, deepen technical understanding and identify practical reform actions aligned with European and international standards.
Focus on education and regulation of health and care professionals
Improving education standards and quality and strengthening regulation of health professionals, particularly nurses and doctors, is a priority both for the EaP countries and for the EU-supported efforts to build health system resilience, as well as WHO/Europe’s Framework for action on the health and care workforce in the WHO European Region 2023–2030.
Across the Region, countries are at different stages of reform in aligning health professional education systems, regulatory frameworks and professional governance arrangements with European and international standards. Advancing these reforms is essential to ensure quality and safety of care, support workforce sustainability, facilitate professional mobility and enable effective deployment of health workers.
This workshop is part of the implementation of the EU-funded programme, a 3-year partnership with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, aimed at promoting resilient health systems through support to health and care workers and mental health services.
Purpose of the workshop
The workshop aims to:
- assess the status of nursing and medical education and regulation
- share peer learning through country examples
- map key regulatory functions against existing capacity
- identify practical actions to strengthen education and regulation
- examine implementation of professional standards in practice
- strengthen collaboration across education, regulation and policy.
The workshop will be offered in a hybrid format, combining short expert inputs, country case presentations, facilitated group work and plenary discussions focused on problem-solving and next steps.