Promoting intersectoral and interagency action for health and well-being in the WHO European Region

Meeting report, Paris, France, 24 April 2015

As part of taking forward the Health 2020 action priorities, and in particular the principal agenda item on promoting intersectoral and interagency action for health and well-being at the 65th session of the Regional Committee for Europe (RC65), the WHO Regional Office for Europe organized a technical meeting in Paris, France, on 24 April 2015. Hosted by the Ministry of Health of France, the purpose of the meeting was to discuss effective ways to strengthen the intersectoral collaboration among the health, education and social sectors in the European Region.

This technical meeting brought together professionals from the health, education and social sectors from selected countries with long experience in intersectoral action, including Austria, Finland, France, Ireland, Latvia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway and Slovenia. Technical officers from the  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization also participated in the meeting,addressing the challenge and need to promote interagency action to improve the health and well-being within intersectoral development agendas and programmes.

This meeting report provides an analytical overview of the discussions about the experiences of Members States in implementing intersectoral actions for health and well-being among the health, education and social sectors; the approaches and mechanisms used; the preconditions needed for an effective implementation; the common challenges found from these experiences; and the recommendations and opportunities identified to achieve a comprehensive, effective and sustainable intersectoral collaboration.