Health Literacy and Human Rights

Listening and empowering people to build trust

 5 December 2025 INAIL, via IV novembre 144, Rome, Italy

 

This event is organised by the National Office Against Racial Discrimination of Italy, in cooperation with the Council of Europe,
and with the support of the Minister for Family, Natality and Equal Opportunities of Italy, and the Minister of Health of Italy

 

 Objective

This event will launch the pathway for the Rome Coalition on Health Literacy and Human Rights, a network to bring together political, institutional, and civil society actors, with the goal of promoting equity and inclusion.

 Programme

Welcome coffee (10:00 - 11:00)

Opening Statements

11:00 - 11:45

Moderator: 

  • Assunta MORRESI, Council of Europe Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO)

Panellists:

  • Eugenia ROCCELLA, Minister for Family, Natality and Equal Opportunities, Italy
  • Orazio SCHILLACI, Minister of Health, Italy
  • Rafael BENITEZ, Director of Social Rights, Health and Environment, Council of Europe

Introductory remarks

11:45 - 12:15

Moderator: 

  • Agnese Nadia CANEVARI, National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR), Italy

Panellists:

  • Evis SALA, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Albania
  • Vasiliki KARAOULI, Secretary Permanent, Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family Affairs, Greece

Morning Summary

12:15 - 12:20

This session will recall the views and political commitments expressed during the morning and the shared intention to collaborate in the setting up of the Rome coalitition on Health Literacy and Human Rights with the support of the Council of Europe.

  • Lorenzo MONTRASIO, National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR), Italy

Lunch (12:20 - 14:00)

Listening and empowering people to build trust

14:00 - 14:20

This session explores the stigma and discrimination faced by people and groups in vulnerable situations, and considers ways to better to listen, empower and protect them so that they can effectively exercise their right to the protection of health.

Moderator: 

  • Lee HIBBARD, Health Division, Council of Europe 

Panellists:

  • Kristine SØRENSEN, Global Health Literacy Academy, Denmark 
  • Guglielmo BONACCORSI, University of Florence, Italy
  • Chiara LORINI, University of Florence, Italy

Listening and empowering people to build trust - Institutional perspectives

14:20 - 15:50

This session discusses how public institutions and government bodies listen, empower and protect people’s health, and considers how the Rome Coalition adds value to their efforts, both individually and collectively.

Moderators: 

  • Miguel TELO DE ARRIAGA, Directorate-General of Health, Portugal

Panellists:

  • Luisa BORGIA, Vice-Chair of the Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO)
  • Robert GAJDA, Commission for Protection from Discrimination, Albania
  • Tigran KARAPETYAN, Council of Europe
  • Signe MEŽINSKA, Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health at the Council of Europe, Latvia 
  • Luciana TEOFILI, National Blood Center, Italy

Closing remarks and way forward

15:50- 16:00
  • Mattia PERADOTTO, National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR), Italy
  • Rafael BENITEZ, Director of Social Rights, Health and Environment, Council of Europe

 Photos

 Speakers & Moderators

Speakers and moderators are being confirmed progressively, with updates shared on this webpage as they become available.

Atrás Signe MEŽINSKA

Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health at the Council of Europe, Latvia
Signe MEŽINSKA

Assoc. Prof. Signe Mežinska is a bioethicist and sociologist by training. She holds PhD in Sociology of Health and Illness (Riga Stradins University, Latvia) and MSc in Bioethics (Union Graduate College, US). Her research interests span the sociology of health and illness, biomedical research ethics, biobanking and biotechnology ethics, ethics in psychiatry, and reproductive ethics. She is currently affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences at the University of Latvia, where she has been teaching medical ethics, bioethics, and the sociology of health and illness for over 25 years. She has also served as a research ethics trainer in numerous international training programs.

Signe Mežinska served as a member of the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee from 2016 to 2024 (Vice-Chair from 2017 to 2021). She is currently a member of the Council of Europe’s Committee on Bioethics (CDBIO), a member of the BBMRI-ERIC ELSI network, a research ethics expert for the European Commission, and a member of the Central Medical Ethics Committee of Latvia.

She has been a grant holder and work package lead in several projects funded by the Latvian Council of Science and the European Commission. At present, she serves as work package lead in the Horizon Europe projects BEYOND and FAMILY, and has contributed as a researcher and expert to other Horizon Europe initiatives including TRUSTParency, ROSiE, VIRT2UE, B1MG, EDITH, as well as several COST actions.

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