Intersectoral action for health – Experiences from small countries in the WHO European Region (2016)

2016, xii + 36 pages
ISBN 978 92 890 5205 4

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 shows 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.