The JOIN Annual General Meeting 2026 was hosted by Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe Austria and took place in Vienna on 30 and 31 May. Eighteen delegates from Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Jerusalem, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Switzerland and Wales came together to exchange views, review the work of the network over the past year and discuss future priorities.

The meeting opened on Friday evening with an informal programme in the centre of Vienna, including a visit to the Malteserkirche. This provided the delegates with an opportunity to reconnect before the formal sessions began the following morning.

On Saturday, the delegates gathered at the Johanniter Center Wien-Nord, where they were welcomed by JOIN Chairman Christian Velten-Jameson, JOIN Vice-Chair Petra Grell-Kunzinger and Johannes Bucher, Chairman of Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe Austria. After a tour de table, the Assembly approved the agenda and the minutes of the previous AGM.

Christian Velten-Jameson then reported on the activities of the Board and the wider JOIN network over the past twelve months. He highlighted the continued involvement of the JOIN Office and several member organisations in European-funded projects, as well as the growing importance of cooperation across the network. The delegates also received the “Roadmap and Strategy 2025 to 2030”, which sets out strategic priorities for the coming years.

Andrew Grech gave a comprehensive financial report on the JOIN accounts and budget.

A central part of the AGM was dedicated to the work of JOIN’s working groups and common areas of interest. The following topics were presented and discussed:

Fundraising Working Group
Chaired by Frederik Ahlefeldt-Laurvig, the group reported on its recent discussions and delegates also exchanged views on fundraising activities and approaches within their organisations and future points of collaboration and exchange.

Volunteering & Youth Working Group
an update was given on the Volunteer Swap programme organised by the Volunteering & Youth Working Group (chaired by Nancy Kestler). Delegates discussed how cross-border volunteering can strengthen practical cooperation, mutual learning and the European identity of the network.

An update was provided on the Erasmus+ PROBANT project, which aims to develop first aid material for children aged 8 to 12.

Participants also explored ideas for future projects and discussed how JOIN members could collaborate in areas such as youth engagement, first aid education and social inclusion throughout Europe.

Mental Health First Aid
Delegates discussed Mental Health First Aid as a growing area of relevance for member organisations, particularly in relation to training, volunteer support and community-based assistance.

Care of people with Dementia
A group session led by László Porcsalmy (Hungary) focused on the care for people with dementia and gave members the opportunity to exchange experiences. This was received with grand interest by all delegates and consider an important and fruitful future area of cooperation within the network.

Later in the afternoon, Harriet Wheeler from the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group gave a presentation on the organisation’s humanitarian response to the current situation in Gaza and the West Bank. Her contribution offered delegates an important insight into the ongoing challenges faced by the Eye Hospital Group and its continued commitment to providing medical care under difficult circumstances.

On Sunday, all delegates presented short reports on their activities over the past twelve months. These updates once again demonstrated the diversity of the network, ranging from first aid and ambulance services to youth work, social care, disaster response, training and international cooperation.

After a moment of contemplation, the work of the JOIN Office was then presented by Joachim Berney, who outlined its activities in Brussels, including lobbying, communication, coordination between members and support for European project work. He also presented the new Erasmus+ SHIELD project, involving Johanniter Germany and Johanniter Austria, which will develop first aid courses tailored to people with physical and cognitive disabilities.

Eva Pelgen from the JOIN Office presented the ongoing TeamUP research project, which will run until the end of 2026. The project focuses on strengthening first responder capabilities in complex CBRN-E incidents and involves Johanniter Austria and 21 European partners.

The AGM concluded with a final discussion on common interests, future strategies and cooperation opportunities within the network. Delegates agreed that the meeting had provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen ties between them, exchange practical experiences and further develop JOIN’s shared priorities for the coming years.

The Annual General Meeting 2027 is planned to be held in from 14 to 16 May in Paris.