The OTS is the first international organization to hold a Summit on COVID-19 pandemic at the level of Heads of States on the global scale. At the Summit, the Heads of States put a special emphasis on need of a close cooperation with the WHO.

Early Coordination During the Pandemic

The Organization of Turkic States (OTS) has been in close collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) since the outbreak of the pandemic.

• 10 April 2020: WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, addressed the Extraordinary Video Summit of the OTS.
• 28 April 2020: Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, delivered a speech at the Meeting of the Ministers of Health of the OTS.
• 30 October 2020: Dr. Kluge also addressed the 4th Meeting of the Health Scientific Group of the OTS.

Institutional Engagement and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

• 14 September 2020: OTS participated as a partner in the 70th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe. The Secretary General emphasized support for WHO Europe's proposal to unite regional multilateral institutions around the European Programme of Work (2020–2025) – "United Action for Better Health in Europe."
• 11 September 2020: The Secretary General and Dr. Kluge signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), formalizing cooperation between OTS and WHO Europe.

Action Plan Development and Cooperation Initiatives

The Secretary General visited WHO Europe's Regional Office in Copenhagen on to discuss the MOU's implementation and develop an Action Plan on 30 November–1 December 2020. Key agreements included:

• Organizing online training programs for health professionals.
• Strengthening digital health in primary care.
• Enhancing vaccination coverage and capacity building for health data systems.
• Initiating procedures to designate new WHO Collaboration Centers in OTS Member and Observer States.

Continued Collaboration and Representation

OTS Secretariat attended the 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC72) in Tel Aviv, Israel on 12–14 September 2022. In this in-person event, future collaborations were discussed, including a 2023 conference on "Emergency Preparedness and Sustainable Development – Shaping Our Future in a Transforming World." Prof. Dr. Emine Alp Meşe, Deputy Minister of Health of Turkey and Chair of the OTS Health Scientific Group, began contributing to the Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development's Scientific Advisory Board.

Latest Developments and Future Plans

The OTS Secretary General and WHO Europe Regional Director met in Copenhagen, Denmark, to sign an Action Plan for implementing the 2024–2025 cooperation framework on 28 October 2023. Prioritized areas for collaboration include:

• Strengthening emergency preparedness and response.
• Empowering health systems.
• Promoting environmentally sustainable healthcare facilities.
• Fostering digitalization and capacity-building initiatives.