Immunization Equity in the WHO European Region

Immunization coverage in the WHO European Region remains high overall, yet inequities persist within and between countries. Certain population groups continue to experience barriers to timely and complete vaccination, including those affected by geographic isolation, socioeconomic challenges, limited access to primary health care, or fragmented service delivery. These inequities undermine progress toward national and regional immunization goals, leaving communities vulnerable to vaccine preventable diseases and reducing the overall resilience of immunization systems.

To support countries in addressing these challenges, WHO/Europe has developed a structured approach and practical tools to help national programmes diagnose immunization inequities, understand their underlying causes, and identify tailored interventions that are feasible within  their contexts. Several Member States across the Region have already applied this guidance, generating valuable insights into both common and context specific drivers of undervaccination. Their experiences offer important lessons for countries seeking to strengthen equity focused planning and monitoring.

The purpose of this webinar is to provide an overview of WHO/Europe’s guidance on identifying 
and addressing immunization inequities and to create a platform for Member States to learn 
from one another. 

The specific objectives of the webinar are to:

1. Present the WHO/Europe guidelines and tools on identifying and addressing immunization inequity
2. Present experience from countries that have applied the WHO/Europe approach at the national and/or subnational level
3. Present experience from countries that have implemented equity-oriented strategies within primary health care and community outreach among specific population groups. 
4. Provide a space for discussion on how the WHO/Europe framework can be used to diagnose inequities in their own settings, what types of interventions have proven effective in different contexts, and how countries can strengthen governance, data use, and service delivery to ensure that no population group is left behind.