Forum 2

Changing the game on health inequalities

Why it matters and what we can do

Organised by WHO Regional Office for Europe

The polarising effects of major gaps in health and well-being which exist in all countries across the WHO European region threaten the very core of values of solidarity and stability, upon which its prosperity and peace are built. We need a healthy dose of disruption to challenge the misconceptions that block progress for healthy prosperous lives for all, to increase political engagement and focus on solutions, demonstrating it is possible to create something better. We need an honest and inclusive dialogue with the public on why reducing health inequities matters for the health and well-being of everyone in Europe in the 21st century. WHO will share its recent work on health equity, which shows that there are 6 macroeconomic policies that can reduce inequities in health in 2-4 years. Success depends on addressing the essential conditions and the drivers of inequity which include policy coherence, accountability, participation, and, underlying them all, empowerment.

Photo Gallery