75th WHO Regional Committee for Europe

Distinguished Regional Director, Chair, and colleagues,

On behalf of EuroHealthNet, the European partnership for health equity and wellbeing, I thank you for the opportunity to address this session.

We congratulate the Regional Office on the progress achieved under the European Programme of Work, which has provided valuable coordination and leadership across the Region—particularly in difficult times of crisis. We look forward to continued collaboration throughout EPW2.

Regarding the state of health in Europe, we are particularly concerned about the persistent and widening inequalities in physical and mental health in most countries.

EuroHealthNet's recent study on social inequalities in health, using data from the European Social Survey, found that one-third of Europeans report poor health, with those of low education twice as likely to do so.

Between countries – we see that countries are converging. But rather than an upward improvement for all, they are meeting in the middle, as health is stagnant or even declining in some Western European countries.

What is driving these inequalities? We found the strongest associations with financial hardship, lack of control over one's life, poor housing, and unhealthy diets.

We call for greater cross-sectoral collaboration, which is essential to address these determinants. We need to invest in our work beyond the health care sector and redesign our systems.

We welcome the new EPW2 priorities—including investing in children and adolescents, promoting healthy ageing, and ensuring innovation benefits all. This is crucial to reducing health inequalities across the life course.

EuroHealthNet remains committed to working with WHO/Europe, Member States, and partners to make health equity a measurable outcome of EPW2 progress. Thank you.

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Joint statement by non-state actors on the Child and Adolescents Health Strategy

Dear Regional Director, Chair, distinguished delegates, we welcome the WHO European Strategy for Child and Adolescent Health and Well-being 2026–2030 and commend its clear, actionable framework.

Across and within countries, children and adolescents continue to face persistent barriers to their health. Health and well-being are stagnating, while inequalities deepen. Mental health challenges are growing, and digital harms are rising. Obesity and cancer rates are increasing. Poor air quality, climate-related health effects, inadequate housing, and service gaps leave too many young people struggling.

Without renewed, coordinated action - these trends risk undermining the next generation’s health and Europe’s future.

This Strategy comes at a vital moment. To support effective implementation, EuroHealthNet and co-signatories propose three key priorities:

• First, put social inequalities in health at the core. Ministers of Health can lead by embedding equity as a guiding principle, not an afterthought. This means equity-oriented budgets, universal access to health promotion and prevention alongside treatment and care, and monitoring progress across all groups, including children and young people with disabilities, from low-income families, and those harder to reach – so that resources follow need.
• Second, strengthen protection from harmful commercial determinants. Ministries of Health should champion stronger regulation of marketing and advertising of tobacco, novel nicotine products, alcohol, and unhealthy food, especially ultra-processed products - online and offline. We must promote evidence-based decision-making, protected from commercial influence and conflicts of interest. Laws must also safeguard children from harmful physical environments, including exposure to air pollution, noise, lack of green spaces, and climate-related health risks. These efforts need cross-sector coordination and effective local enforcement.
• Third, scale up the Health Promoting Schools model. This evidence-based approach builds healthy, inclusive, and equitable learning environments. By focusing on the physical and social conditions that shape health - supportive school cultures, safe and active mobility, clean air, and stronger links with community-based primary care, the model lays out a strong foundation for wellbeing in schools. It extends beyond classrooms – mobilising schools, families, communities, and policymakers, especially health and education, around a shared vision.

Every child and adolescent in the WHO European Region has the right to grow, learn, and thrive in safe, healthy places. Using this Strategy as our guide, EuroHealthNet and co-signatories stand ready to work with WHO and Member States to help deliver measurable progress for Europe’s next generation.

Thank you.

Copenhagen, 30 October 2025

Signatories:

• EuroHealthNet: c.costongs@eurohealthnet.eu
• European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians (EFAD): wineke.remijnse@efad.org
• European Respiratory Society: brian.ward@ersnet.org
• European Hospital and Healthcare Federation: sg@hope.be
• EUPHA European Public Health Association: c.marchandise@euphaoffice.org
• International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC): kpettus@iahpc.com
• International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP): ialp_president1@ialpglobal.org
• Societatea Romana de Pneumologie: office@srp.ro
• The Cochrane Collaboration: msalman@cochrane.org
• European Lung Foundation (ELF): pippa.powell@europeanlung.org
• WONCA Europe: jmbuenoortiz@gmail.com
• EUROCAM: Elisa.baldini@cam-europe.eu
• European Public Health Alliance (EPHA): milka.sokolovic@epha.org
• EFN (European Federation of Nurses Associations): efn@efn.eu

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Dear Regional Director, Chair, dear delegates,

Thank you for the opportunity to address the Committee. We welcome the proposed “Ageing is Living Strategy” to realise the vision of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing and to prepare for the evolving needs of our ageing society.

Living longer is one of humanity’s greatest achievements, but added years must be healthy years. The strategy’s four action areas provide a practical route forward:

• First, investing in health promotion and prevention from early childhood and throughout life is essential. Inequalities accumulate over time and shape how people age. A balanced approach should address both individual behaviours and the upstream, structural and commercial determinants that shape them – including healthy food environments, alcohol and tobacco control, active mobility, education, decent work and clean air. Prioritising evidence-based population measures that change environments in which people age – alongside support for healthy choices – can boost independence and quality of life and sustain a productive, ageing workforce. Alignment with the new Child and Adolescent Health Strategy will strengthen coherence across the life course.
• Second, transforming health and care systems is vital for resilience and sustainability. Converging pressures - workforce shortages, unsustainable care models, climate threats, and fiscal constraints – heighten unmet needs and inequities, especially for people with multimorbidity and disability. Systems that promote health and maintain function across the life course, with timely primary
  care, and appropriate re-ablement and rehabilitation, can delay or reduce the need for long-term and palliative care. Building on last year’s Framework for resilient and sustainable health systems, everyone should access the right care, at the right time, in the right place, from the right person, without financial hardship.
• Third, creating age-friendly environments is a cornerstone of autonomy and participation. Adapting our surroundings – from accessible housing and clean air to green spaces and inclusive workplaces – keeps people engaged and counters narratives of ageing as a burden. Coordinated policies and smart investments across health, long-term care, housing, transport and assistive technology will empower people to live and age well.
• Fourth, ageing is not a story of decline, but of potential. Tackling ageism and fostering intergenerational engagement are essential to address attitudes and practices that drive poorer physical and mental health, reduced functional ability, social exclusion, and economic insecurity.

EuroHealthNet and co-signatories stand ready to work with WHO, alongside Member States and other stakeholders, to finalise and implement the Strategy. We look forward to its adoption at the 76th Regional Committee. Thank you.

Copenhagen, 30 October 2025

Signatories:

• EuroHealthNet: c.costongs@eurohealthnet.eu
• AGE Platform Europe: julia.wadoux@age-platform.eu
• European Hospital and Healthcare Federation: sg@hope.be
• EUPHA European Public Health Association:  c.marchandise@euphaoffice.org
• International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care: kpettus@iahpc.com
• International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP):  ialp_president1@ialpglobal.org
• International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine
• (ISPRM):  ISPRMoffice@aimgroup.eu
• Societatea Romana de Pneumologie: office@srp.ro
• The Cochrane Collaboration: msalman@cochrane.org
• International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA):  rdeurope@ifmsa.org
• European Lung Foundation (ELF): pippa.powell@europeanlung.org
• WONCA Europe: jmbuenoortiz@gmail.com
• European Respiratory Society (ERS): brian.ward@ersnet.org
• EUROCAM: Elisa.baldini@cam-europe.eu
• European Public Health Alliance (EPHA): milka.sokolovic@epha.org
• International Federation of Ageing: shsiung@ifa.ngo
• European Federation of Nurses Associations (EFN): efn@efn.eu

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