Letter to the Health Promotion International journal--response from Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland

Abstract

Health promotion has been, and remains, a cornerstone of WHO policies and actions. I made this point in Mexico (see this issue, pp. 95‐98) and repeat it here. Health promotion actions permeate all technical programs. Concerns raised about changes in the way we are organizing health promotion work in WHO should not be equated with reduced institution-wide support for health promotion. In fact, by mainstreaming health promotion, we intend to ensure that the best health promotion practices are used to improve defined health outcomes in all populations. The Ottawa Charter provided inspiration and ideas for many in public health, as has the Commission on Sustainable Development (following the 1992 UNCED conference) as well as the global movements that have recently culminated in the follow-up to the Social Summit, the Beijing Conference on Women and others. A new development paradigm is emerging that gives greater centrality to health in general. Ottawa, Rio, Beijing, Copenhagen and many other major meetings have aided this convergence. WHO’s new Macro-Economic Commission on Health, our separate cluster on Sustainable Development with its focus on poverty, crosssectoral policies and globalization, and our pathfinder projects, Roll Back Malaria and the Tobacco Free Initiative, all draw in partners from many sectors and institutions. They do so increasingly with a clear and definable purpose and focus in a rapidly changing world. Between them, this growing array of partnerships covers all major aspects of public health. The evidence that many aspects of health promotion make a difference is growing, and the difference is always measured in terms of reduced risks for disease, or for improved health outcomes, including quality of life measures. Our two biggest challenges are to continue this work at the macro determinant level with a wide range of partners and ensure that processes and interventions that reduce the burden of unnecessary suffering among the poorest communities and countries are increasingly developed. That way the aim of the Mexico meeting, to reduce inequities in health, will be achieved. I urge you all to join us and thank the International Union on Health Promotion and Education for establishing a reference group to work closely with WHO as we move ahead.