Making vaccine equity work: Community-led solutions for a healthier and more resilient Europe
On 19 May 2026, the RIVER-EU project will host its final conference in Brussels and online, organised by EuroHealthNet in partnership with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).
After five years of collaboration across Europe, this event will bring together communities, practitioners, researchers, civil society, and policymakers to reflect on key project results and explore how successful approaches to reducing vaccination inequalities can be sustained beyond the project’s lifetime.
Registration is free but required. Please register before 10 May via EuroHealthNet.
What to expect
- Discover the RIVER-EU Guideline and Action Framework, a new practical resource to support policymakers and practitioners in reducing vaccination inequalities
- Learn from implementation experiences across Europe on improving access to MMR and HPV vaccination for various underserved communities
- Hear directly from community members and frontline practitioners
- Explore highlights from national satellite events that helped “close the research loop” with communities
- Discuss how RIVER-EU results can inform future policy and practice at EU and national levels
Register now
Registration is free but required. Please register before 10 May via EuroHealthNet
Register here:
Participants attending in person will receive additional information from the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) regarding building access ahead of the event.
For any additional information about this event, please contact EuroHealthNet’s Policy & Practice Officer, Afsaneh Nejat.
Conference programme
9:30-10:00 | Registration and coffee
10:00-10:20 | Introduction
Welcome remarks
- Alain Coheur, European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
Setting the scene and key results
- Cornelis Boersma, Janine de Zeeuw, University Medical Center Groningen
10:20-11:10 | Session 1: Voices from the field
Bringing together voices closest to implementation to reflect on how access to vaccination has evolved through RIVER-EU, what enabled change, and where barriers persist.
- Daphne Gavrili, Intercultural School of Athens, Greece
- František Turták, Healthy Regions, Slovakia
- Salima Ouali, Jasmijn Multicultural Women’s Center, Netherlands
- Mufida Nazri, Medical Center Medyk, Poland
Moderator: Jumanah Essa-hadad, Bar-Ilan University
11:10-11:30 | Coffee break
11:30-12:10 | Session 2: How did we make this possible?
Exploring how RIVER-EU implemented interventions in practice, what assumptions were challenged, how flexibility and adaptation shaped interventions, and which elements resist scaling.
- Tamara Schloemer, Maastricht University
- Janine de Zeeuw, University Medical Center Groningen
- Pania Karnaki, Prolepsis Institute
- Maria Ganczak, University of Zielona Gora
- Daniela Bobakova Filakosvska, Pavol Jozef Safarik University
Moderator: Michael Edelstein, Bar-Ilan University
12:10-13:10 | Lunch break
13:10-14:00| Session 3: Introducing the RIVER-EU Guideline: Working with ECDC and WHO/Europe to strengthen community-led approaches to vaccine equity
Outlining our Guideline’s purpose, its guiding principles, and how it can be used in practice.
The session will also situate the Guideline within the broader EU public health landscape: how it aligns with and complements existing guidelines of ECDC (Promoting vaccination acceptance and uptake: a social and behavioural science approach) and WHO (Tailoring Immunization Programmes) to support vaccination uptake, trust, and access.
- Colin Campbell, UK Health Security Agency
- Andrea Wuerz, ECDC
- Brett Craig, WHO Regional O ice for Europe
14:00-14:50 | Session 4: Opening policy pathways
Exploring how vaccine equity can be advanced on the policy agenda, where RIVER-EU insights could be taken up, and what enables their use in policy and practice.
- Fatima Cengic, UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional O ice
- Brett Craig, WHO Regional O ice for Europe
- Marijn Stok, National Institute for Public Health and Environment, Netherlands
- Katarzyna Lewtak, National Institute of Public Health, Poland
Moderator: Alison Maassen, EuroHealthNet
14:50-15:00 | Closing remarks
- Michael Edelstein and community representatives