Towards better health and well-being in Small Countries in the WHO European Region: the Montenegro statement: Eighth high-level meeting of the Small Countries Initiative, 2–3 June 2022, Bečići (Budva), Montenegro

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on countries’ health systems and economies, but its impact on the 11 smallest countries in the WHO European Region – many of which rely on tourism as a large part of their national economy – has been particularly severe. Meeting at the Eighth high-level meeting of the WHO/Europe Small Countries Initiative, the countries’ health ministers and delegates endorsed a bold vision to drive recovery in the post-COVID-19 era. The two-day event, held on 2–3 June 2022 in Bečići, Montenegro, saw the ministers and their representatives discuss two key issues how small countries can successfully recover from the pandemic, and how they can place health at the heart of their tourism sectors. At the end of the meeting, the countries’ delegates unanimously adopted the Montenegro statement, which outlines key commitments for moving forward.