Event higlhights
WHO/Europe, together with the Ministry of Health of Serbia and the National Institute of Public Health of Serbia, hosted the “Workshop on wastewater and environmental surveillance for public health in western Balkan countries” in Belgrade from 10 to 12 March 2026. The workshop brought together 23 senior technical experts from the health, water and environment sectors in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, alongside representatives from the European Commission, to discuss the added value, applications and advantages of multipathogen wastewater and environmental surveillance (WES) in the context of broader public health surveillance. The workshop contributed to the implementation of the 2026–2028 programme of work under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe–WHO/Europe Protocol on Water and Health, which emphasizes the strengthening of national surveillance and early warning systems for water-related diseases. During the 2.5 days, participants developed their knowledge and understanding of the principles and use cases of WES as a valuable public health surveillance tool. Building on WHO’s draft multipathogen WES tool, group activities and peer-to-peer exchanges between countries with established programmes and those in early stages of development enabled countries to formulate high-level country-specific action plans to support the adoption of WES. Participants identified continued collaboration and follow-up technical assistance from WHO/Europe, WHO collaborating centres and the stakeholders of the Protocol on Water and Health as crucial next steps to advance WES across the subregion.
Event notice
WHO/Europe is hosting a workshop on wastewater and environmental surveillance (WES) for public health for western Balkan countries. Taking place in Belgrade from 10–12 March 2026, the workshop will address senior technical experts from the health and environment sectors from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
The workshop aims to increase understanding of, and build capacity on, the principles, use cases and added value of WES in public health. It will also raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges associated with establishing or expanding an existing WES programme. Specifically, the workshop objectives are to:
- establish the health and environment rationale for WES as a public health tool;
- share current WES activities, including for poliovirus, in western Balkan countries and share WES experiences and good practices from across the WHO European Region;
- introduce and discuss the key principles of the draft WHO WES multi-pathogen tool currently under development;
- facilitate peer-to-peer exchange between relevant stakeholders from countries with experience in WES and those in the early stages;
- facilitate peer-to-peer exchange on the alignment with the European Union Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and the broader water and environmental acquis; and
- engage in action planning for potential in-country WES activities.
The workshop contributes to the implementation of the 2026–2028 programme of work of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe-WHO/Europe Protocol on Water and Health, which emphasizes the importance of strengthening national surveillance systems.
It will be supported by the WHO Collaborating Centre for Risk Assessment of Pathogens in Food and Water at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Netherlands (Kingdom of the), and the WHO Collaborating Centre on Environmental Health Risk Management at the National Centre for Public Health and Pharmacy, Hungary.