Meeting report of the Third high-level meeting of small countries (2017)

The third high-level meeting of the small countries aimed to find common denominators between the global (SDGs) and European (Health 2020) strategic visions for health and sustainable development. Countries shared their thoughts on significant opportunities or achievements in implementing both agendas, stressing the need for action at all levels of government while engaging the health, education and social policy sectors. Case stories detailing life-course approaches demonstrated how small countries are seizing opportunities and leaving no one behind, while stressing the importance of monitoring all life-course actions to assess impact. There was agreement on the need to transform and integrate health services and identify key policy lessons in health systems to meet small country health challenges. The Small Countries Health Information Network will continue to support WHO European Region Member States, including through its new gatekeeper function to reduce countries’ reporting burden, and mechanisms for monitoring SDG indicator data. Work on resilience will continue in 2017, along with communication of the 2030 Agenda to other sectors and lay audiences, increasing the outreach of health promotion and disease prevention initiatives, and support
of the transformative Strategy on women’s health and well-being in the WHO European Region.