Olivér Várhelyi is a Hungarian lawyer and diplomat. He is the European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare in the von der Leyen Commission II and has been since December 2024.

He is joining us at the Portorož Youth Health Forum 2026. As part of the Forum, young people will have a unique opportunity to join a dedicated Youth Policy Dialogue, ask questions, share their experiences, and speak directly with one of Europe’s leading health policymakers. The Commissioner is coming to listen – so bring your voice, your ideas, and your questions, and join us in Portorož.

The WHO Core Group on Social Participation brings together WHO staff and experts working across different WHO offices and regions to advance social participation in health. The group supports WHO’s work to strengthen the meaningful involvement of people, communities and civil society in shaping health policies, services and health systems.

Kerstin Vesna Petrič is Head of the Office for Cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) at the Ministry of Health of Slovenia. She previously served as Director-General of Public Health from 2019 to 2022 and, before that, as Head of the Division for Health Promotion and Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health (2004–2019). She holds a Master’s degree in Public Health and Clinical Aspects of Addiction and has contributed to the development and implementation of policies on alcohol and tobacco control, as well as illicit drugs, at both national and international levels.

From 1998 to 2004, she served as a WHO Liaison Officer, and from 2016 to 2019, she was a member of the Standing Committee of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (SCRC). Since 2021, she has been a member of the WHO Executive Board and served as its Chair from May 2022.

Dr. Octavian Mihai Machidon is an Assistant Professor at the University of Ljubljana and a researcher in human-centred and ethical AI. His work explores how AI systems and recommender algorithms shape attention, behaviour, decision-making, and digital experiences, with important implications for wellbeing and autonomy. He also researches the wider societal effects of generative AI, including its impact on learning, creativity, identity, and critical thinking. His work is especially relevant for understanding what happens behind the digital platforms young people use every day and how technologies designed to capture attention can influence their health and wellbeing.

Dr. Peter Rice is a Scottish addiction psychiatrist with many years of experience in alcohol treatment and public health. He worked as a Consultant Psychiatrist with NHS Tayside and has held several leadership roles, including Chair of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), a project of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh which provided a focus for health organizations work on alcohol in Scotland and President of the European Alcohol Policy Alliance (EUROCARE). His work focuses on improving alcohol policy, prevention, and treatment, and he has advised governments and the World Health Organization on evidence-based approaches to reducing alcohol-related harm.

Dr. Laura Fenton is a Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield whose research focuses on alcohol, youth, gender, and social change. Her work explores how drinking practices and perspectives on alcohol change across different generations and throughout different stages of life. She has led qualitative research on youth drinking cultures and is an editor of a collection examining the role of alcohol across the life course. Her work contributes to a better understanding of how social and cultural changes shape alcohol use and its meaning in people’s lives.

Stig Erik Sørheim is the Head of the International Department of Actis (Norwegian Policy Network on Alcohol and Drugs). He monitors international alcohol and drug policy at the European and global levels. Additionally, he held the position of vice-chair at the European Civil Society Forum on Drugs. Prior to this, he served as a senior advisor at the Norwegian Directorate of Health, specializing in alcohol and drug matters alongside public health concerns.

Sanja Šišović is President of the International Youth Health Organization (YHO) and an experienced public health advocate with over a decade of work in youth health. Based in Montenegro, she is also Program Director at CAZAS and has led numerous national and international initiatives in HIV/AIDS, mental health, reproductive health and NCD prevention, with a strong focus on meaningful youth participation and health equity.

Andrej Martin Vujkovac currently works an independent consultant on Global Health matters, mostly with the World Health Organization. Previously to the current occupation, he held the position of First Secretary at the Slovenian Permanent Mission in Geneva, covering the file on Global Health. His previous experience includes engagement in youth organisations, such as the Slovenian Medical Students International Committee, the International Federation of Medical Students Associations, and the International Youth Health Organization where he served as a volunteer and later in Executive board positions. He also worked in Youth Network No Excuse Slovenia, as a Public Health Associate. His work has included designing prevention programs for Youth, advocating for better health policies in the field of addictions, and training young activists who want to make the world a better place. He is a Medical Doctor by training and has a Master’s in public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Manca Kozlovič is a sociologist, pedagogue and andragogist with extensive experience in youth work, participation, education and prevention. She has been active in No Excuse since 2013, contributing to youth exchanges, peer education, project development and strategic development of the organization, and previously represented Slovenia in the Pompidou Group jury for the European Drug Prevention Prize. She is active as an advocate on the national level in the field of youth health.

Jan Peloza is CEO at Impact Hub Slovenia, where he leads a team of social innovators and change-makers who support entrepreneurs and organizations to create positive social and environmental impact. He has over 20 years of experience in advocacy and leadership, having co-founded and led several international and national networks and initiatives that promote sustainability and health. He has also been a trainer and facilitator for various capacity building programs, as well as a consultant and board member for several global and regional organizations, such as the World Health Organization, the European Youth Card Association, Sustainaware and the International Youth Health Organization. He holds a master’s in social marketing on the topic of problematic gambling and a bachelor’s in computing and informatics.

Sedef Erçetin Gencosmanoğlu is a prominent leader in international cooperation and public health, currently serving as the Head of International Cooperation at a leading Turkish NGO. She holds a master’s degree in international Affairs and Management from Italy and bachelor’s degrees from Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. Beginning her career in 2009 as a Project Researcher with the IMF and World Bank, Sedef has since driven collaboration between her organization and international bodies, including UN agencies and INGOs. She is the founder and Executive Manager of key initiatives such as the Women’s Forum on Addiction and Recovery and the Youth Advocacy Forum, demonstrating her commitment to social impact.
Sedef also leads the Executive Committee of the Istanbul Initiative and contributes to global health and education through affiliations with EAIE (European Association for International Education), EUROCARE, EURAD, and WFAD’s Global Gender Group. With expertise in strategy and governance, she continues to advance sustainable development and foster meaningful international partnerships.

After a master degree in Political sciences and international relations, Myriam Savy worked for 8 years at the French chapter of Transparency International as a communication officer and then as head of advocacy. She developed there a strong expertise in public transparency and integrity issues, and become an expert of lobbying strategies. Since 2016, she has been working at Association Addictions France (ex ANPAA). She is now Director of communication, associative activities and advocacy. As such, she works on issues of lobbying strategies developed by the industry (alcohol, gambling, tobacco…). At European level, she represents Addictions France in the Eurocare board since 2017 and has been elected vice-chair of Eurocare in 2021.