Sign the European Charter for Health Equity Today!

To sign the European Charter for Health Equity please follow the registration link here.

People living in poverty are more likely to smoke, suffer from overweight and obesity and die earlier as a result. This concerns at least 80 million people at risk of poverty in Europe – 1 child out of 5. This will be further deepened by the financial crisis and the austerity measures and cuts in essential services that we observe. And yet, this is not factored into the Europe 2020 strategy.  EU leaders need to decide on a strong action-oriented and evidence-based strategy to reduce health inequalities that would foresee health, inclusion and poverty indicators.  But we all need to do much more than waiting for the EU to act; we need to go beyond 'traditional' separated way of thinking. -Archie Turnbull, EPHA President  

Why Sign?

• Because the existing systematic differences in health – widespread, unfair and avoidable – impose a growing threat to all people living in Europe and have to be addressed in a concerted manner at all levels and by all relevant stakeholders. Putting right these inequities is a matter of social justice.
• To reaffirm the commitment to the values of well-being, solidarity, social justice, promotion of fundamental human rights and gender equity.
• To call for action from the civil society to all relevant stakeholders and in particular decision makers, relevant governmental and civil society partner organisations, and other regulatory bodies, to protecting and promoting people‟s health by acting on health inequalities between and within countries in Europe.

To commit : 

• to promote the shared values of solidarity, equity, gender equality, sustainability and participation through mainstreaming health equity in our policies and other actions to ensure due attention is paid to the needs of the poor and other vulnerable groups and to support a societal development that maximises individual and community potential ;
• Invest in actions that promote and support health equity, social, gender and environmental determinants of health, and guarantee that such pro-health initiatives are coherent and integrated with effective and measurable evidence-based interventions that are responsive to people‟s needs, preferences and expectations ;
• Foster and build capacity and cross-country learning and cooperation between all relevant stakeholders in development and implementation of policies that have positive impact on social determinants of health.

Who ?

• Decision-makers, EU institutions, regional, national and local governments, WHO, civil society, individuals, and all other interested parties.
• All health and non-health areas with potential impact on reducing health inequalities : employment, education, housing, environment, social, gender, migration, agriculture, transport, climate, and others.