No country should have to build its digital health future alone – now none of them will

WHO/Europe and Healthcare Denmark sign agreement to advance digital health, data and AI in the WHO European Region

WHO/Europe Regional Director Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge (left) and Chair of Healthcare Denmark, Mr Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen

Copenhagen, 15 June 2026

WHO/Europe and Healthcare Denmark have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to accelerate cooperation on digital health, health data, artificial intelligence (AI) and health system innovation in the 53 countries of the WHO European Region.

A partnership built on shared priorities

Under the agreement, WHO/Europe will share global technical expertise on digital health and AI with Healthcare Denmark and relevant Danish stakeholders. WHO/Europe will participate in delegation visits, roundtables, webinars and other technical exchanges, and will contribute to the dissemination of evidence-informed innovative health approaches in line with countries’ needs.

“I have seen what Denmark has built, and it’s impressive,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. “The country boasts a health system where data flows safely between patients, clinicians and researchers, and where AI supports doctors rather than replacing them. This agreement means that every country in our Region can learn from that journey – and skip some of the hard lessons along the way. This is health equity in practice. Not a slogan, but a working partnership designed to benefit all.”

For its part, Healthcare Denmark will facilitate knowledge exchange by sharing Danish experiences and good practices. The organization will support study visits and technical exchanges for WHO/Europe and interested countries with relevant Danish health authorities and institutions, and will promote Denmark as a learning platform for countries interested in digital health and data-driven health system development.

“Digital transformation is not achieved through technology alone. It requires trust, governance and collaboration. Through this agreement with WHO/Europe, we can help connect health systems across the Region with practical experience from Denmark’s digital health journey,” added Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, Chair of Healthcare Denmark.

Priorities and governance

Key thematic areas for collaboration include digital transformation, health information systems, data analytics, and AI in health, all consistent with WHO’s “Regional digital health action plan for the WHO European Region 2023–2030”.

The partnership will not support business development activities, provide privileged access to any country, or imply WHO endorsement of any product, service or entity. Any involvement of private-sector entities in study visits or exchanges will be transparent, appropriately managed and strictly non-promotional.

The MoU will continue until 30 June 2031 and may be extended for additional periods of 5 years.

Notes to editor

• Healthcare Denmark is a non-profit, public–private partnership promoting expertise and innovation within Danish health care and life science. This agreement marks an important step in harnessing Danish expertise in data-driven health care to benefit all 53 Member States in the Region.
• WHO/Europe is the WHO’s Regional Office for Europe, 1 of 6 WHO regional offices worldwide. It serves 53 Member States across a geographical area that spans from Iceland in the west to the Russian Federation’s Pacific coast in the east, covering a population of nearly 900 million people. The Office provides technical support, evidence and policy guidance to help Member States strengthen health systems, prevent and respond to disease threats, and address the social and environmental determinants of health. 

Contacts

Marie Oleinik, oleinikm@who.int 

Bhanu Bhatnagar, bbhatnagar@who.int