Small country case stories on intersectoral action for health (2016)

Health and well-being are affected by social, economic and environmental determinants. Intersectoral action can play a crucial role in addressing today’s biggest public health challenges. This report is a compendium of case stories showing how eight small countries, with a population of less than one million, used intersectoral action to address a diverse set of health needs, thus sharing their knowledge on implementing Health 2020. Many sectors were involved in the country case stories with the health sector taking the lead in most cases, coordinating action and engaging other players. The other main sectors involved were agriculture, education, family affairs, interior, labour,
justice, sports and tourism. The case stories reveal a number of mechanisms that facilitated intersectoral action with lessons learnt focusing on the importance of establishing common goals, engaging sectors and implementing mechanisms for intersectoral work.