RETS celebrates 30 years with an event open to the public and a meeting of its members [1]

It is with great pleasure that the Joaquim Venancio Polytechnic School of Health (EPSJV/Fiocruz), WHO Collaborating Centre for the Education of Health Technicians and Executive Secretariat of the International Network for the Education of Health Technicians (RETS), invites you to the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of RETS, to be held on November 23 and 24.

November 23 (Monday) - Commemorative Ceremony for the 30 Years of RETS

On November 23, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Brasilia time), the event —open to the public and broadcast in Portuguese and Spanish on YouTube— will include: an opening panel, the screening of a commemorative video, and the keynote speech “30 Years of RETS: historical balance and perspectives”, delivered by Deisy Ventura, Full Professor at the School of Public Health of the University of São Paulo (FSP-USP) and Vice-Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Global Health and Sustainability at the same university.

In her address, Deisy will reflect on the differences between the context that marked the emergence of the Network in the 1990s and the challenges of the present day, as explained by Carlos Eduardo Batistella, International Cooperation Coordinator at EPSJV/Fiocruz: “In the 1990s, the creation of RETS occurred amidst the redemocratization process in Latin America and the intense debate on healthcare models, the defense of health as a right, and as a public policy opposing the growing force of market logic. Today, we live in a scenario shaped by the consequences of the climate collapse, global health emergencies, and the need for increasingly coordinated and solidary responses, simultaneously with the weakening of multilateralism and the advance of the neoliberal project worldwide.” “In this scenario, what we aim to do is take stock of RETS’ trajectory, reaffirm the principles that guided its building, and, above all, identify paths and strategies to strengthen the Network in the face of the challenges projected for the coming years,” Batistella added.
November 24 (Tuesday) - 5th General Meeting of RETS

November 24 (Tuesday) - 5th General Meeting of RETS

On November 24, the members of the Network will meet virtually to define the strategic direction of RETS for the next four years. The RETS Meeting takes place one year after the meetings of its subnetworks —that of RETS-CPLP, held in Lisbon in June 2025, and that of RIETS, which took place in Rio de Janeiro in October of the same year—, during which Work Plans based on various projects and interventions were approved.

The core objectives of the meeting are: to celebrate the 30th anniversary of RETS and to update the reference documents governing the work within the network. In this regard, the agenda includes the discussion and approval of the new Regulations and the processes for the admission of new members to RETS; the RETS Work Plan 2027-2030; and the Network’s Communication Policy, as well as the election or reappointment of the Executive Secretariat.

Join us! Your presence is highly valued! Follow our social media channels for more information.

Important Information:

Commemoration of the 30 Years of RETS

• Date: November 23, 2026
• Time: 10:00 a.m. (Brasilia time)

Program:

• Opening panel
• Launch of the commemorative video
• Keynote speech "30 Years of RETS: historical balance and perspectives" (Deisy Ventura)

Spanish Broadcast:

• VideoSaúde Distribuidora da Fiocruz: https://youtube.com/live/txsvi9oMmw8?feature=share [4]