ERNA General Meeting 2025: Red Cross and Red Crescent Uniting for Community Health in Athens

Athens, Greece – 3–5 November 2025
The XXII General Meeting of the European Red Cross/Red Crescent Network on HIV, Hepatitis, TB and Substance Abuse (ERNA) will take place in Athens, gathering National Society delegates, partners, and experts from across Europe and Central Asia to strengthen the Red Cross and Red Crescent response to some of the region’s most pressing but under-prioritized health challenges.

Under the theme “Strengthening community-health responses: united against HIV, Hepatitis, TB and substance abuse,” this year’s meeting comes at a critical moment. Amid escalating humanitarian crises, migration flows, and socio-political tensions, the burden of communicable diseases and substance-related vulnerabilities continues to grow—especially among the most marginalized.

Despite advances in medicine, HIV, viral hepatitis, and tuberculosis still cause preventable suffering, while substance use disorders remain highly stigmatized and are often addressed with punitive rather than health-based responses. Access to palliative care also remains limited in many settings. People who use drugs, migrants, detainees, and those living with HIV or TB often face legal, geographic, and social barriers to care.

At the same time, Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies face shrinking humanitarian space, financial pressure, and increasing risks to volunteers and staff operating in difficult environments.

“This General Meeting is a vital opportunity to renew our commitment and strengthen the collective impact of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Network. Together, we can build a more inclusive, resilient, and effective response to HIV, Hepatitis, TB, and substance abuse, ensuring that no one is left behind” stated the President of the Network Mauro Patti.
Why this meeting matters
ERNA has served since 1997 as a platform for solidarity, knowledge-sharing, and coordinated public health action among National Societies. The 2025 General Meeting will:

– Reaffirm the Movement’s community-based, rights-based, and evidence-informed approach to health challenges.

– Provide a space for joint planning, strategy-building, and advocacy.

– Launch the process for a new ERNA Strategy 2025–2035, grounded in sustainability, inclusion, and innovation.

– Offer interactive workshops, best practice exchanges, and opportunities for bilateral and multilateral collaboration.

Sessions will include contributions from National Societies, academic institutions, international agencies, and civil society organizations working in areas such as harm reduction, prison health, stigma reduction, and mental health. A key highlight will be a strategic workshop co-hosted by the Irish Red Cross and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), focusing on the ECDC Toolbox for the Elimination of Hepatitis B and C in European prisons by 2030.

Expected outcomes
– A shared understanding of emerging threats and needs in the ERNA region

– Concrete proposals for joint campaigns, operational partnerships, and advocacy messages

– Working groups contributing to the drafting of the ERNA Strategy 2025–2035

– Renewed commitment of National Societies, IFRC, and partners to advancing community-level health action on HIV, hepatitis, TB, and substance use

“Together, we can strengthen the humanitarian response to one of the most enduring yet overlooked health emergencies of our time. Let’s reaffirm our shared responsibility to uphold the health and dignity of all, especially those most at risk of being forgotten” concludes the President Patti.
We look forward to welcoming you to Athens and building a stronger, more effective ERNA Network for the future.