The World Health Organization (WHO) European Region is set to convene a virtual dialogue aimed at re-evaluating four decades of health promotion practice under the Ottawa Charter, as countries grapple with evolving and intersecting public health threats.
The two-day meeting, scheduled for April 29 and 30, 2026, will bring together policymakers, health experts, researchers, and civil society actors to assess how health promotion strategies can be strengthened in response to today’s complex realities, including climate change, demographic transitions, digital transformation, and the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
According to WHO Europe, modern health challenges are increasingly shaped by a combination of social, economic, environmental, and digital factors, placing additional strain on already stretched health systems across the region.
The organisation warned that many countries are struggling with rising healthcare costs, workforce shortages, and limited fiscal space, while progress toward global health targets, including the Sustainable Development Goals, has slowed. It further noted that a significant proportion of deaths linked to non-communicable diseases in the region remain preventable with stronger prevention strategies.
While reaffirming the core principles of health promotion, equity, multisectoral collaboration, and creating enabling environments for health—the WHO stressed the need to rethink implementation strategies, governance models, and partnerships to match current realities.
The virtual event will feature high-level panel discussions, expert engagements, and interactive sessions focused on lessons from the past 40 years and future directions for health promotion and NCD prevention in the region.
Participants are expected to contribute insights that will help shape a new regional framework for tackling non-communicable diseases and strengthening health promotion approaches across Europe.
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