News
The NDPHS Secretariat is looking for interns
Gain practical knowledge and professional experience related to the NDPHS activities, we are looking for a motivated trainee to join our team in the NDPHS Secretariat in Stockholm, Sweden. The programme grants a monthly scholarship. Read more what is in it for you and begin 2025 with a unique experience!
16 December, 2024
How to assess age-friendliness in health and care sector workplaces?
On 4-5 November, the partners from the project “Solutions for Age-Friendly Employers - SAFE” gathered in Helsinki to advance the development of an age-friendly workplace self-assessment tool. Over two intensive days, the partners explored innovative age-management practices, with presentations from the Finnish start-up Nextmile and students at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. By the end of the workshop, the partners had crafted a preliminary set of indicators for assessing age-friendliness in workplaces.
13 November, 2024
“Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region” highlights the benefits of social prescribing in a fresh publication
As a non-clinical and non-pharmacological approach to mental healthcare, Arts on Prescription bridges two sectors: culture and health. Although there is growing interest in this field, a framework for setting up, coordinating, and incorporating this approach into existing healthcare systems and mental health care services is still lacking. Our Interreg BSR project “Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region” aims to bridge this gap and outlines the various benefits of Arts on Prescription in a recently published brochure.
7 November, 2024
NDPHS participates in the 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe
Last week our attention was on the 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe. Health ministers and high-level delegates from the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region, as well as representatives of partner organizations including the NDPHS Secretariat, and regional non-State actors, met in Copenhagen.
4 November, 2024
MentalHealthMatters project partners explore social innovations related to psychosocial risks at work
In September, the MentalHealthMatters Transnational Community of Practice gathered for a workshop in Stockholm, hosted by the NDPHS Secretariat. The participants explored practices related to psychosocial work environments across the Baltic Sea Region. Promising practices from Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, and Poland were presented and the goal was to examine how social innovations in this field have facilitated behavioural and organisational changes.
29 October, 2024
“Solutions for Age-Friendly Employer” (SAFE) project enters the phase of co-creation with employees and employers
On September 25th, partners from the SAFE project financed by Interreg Central Baltic gathered at the NDPHS Secretariat office in Stockholm. The project is actively progressing and we have begun working on composing solutions for age-friendly organizations. This time we met in person to ensure a shared understanding of how to carry out the workshops and to gather input for the self-assessment tool.
22 October, 2024
Nordic-Baltic countries and Ukraine public health experts meet in Stockholm to explore social innovation transfer
Public health experts from Germany, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and Ukraine recently came together for a workshop focused on exploring framework conditions for social innovation transfer. Organized by the NDPHS Secretariat, the “Transferability Workshop” aimed to identify successful public health interventions in the Baltic Sea region that could be adapted and implemented in other countries facing similar challenges.
14 October, 2024
Interreg Cooperation day 2024
To celebrate our network and project community and to showcase how cross-border and transnational work promote unity and progress, we join Interreg Cooperation Day 2024 with a week full of events. With the support from Interreg, we can make boundaries irrelevant in our daily lives and build inclusive communities with an aim to improve the health and well-being of all.
20 September, 2024
Arts on Prescription animation – from concept to reality
Since 2023 we are working on a project "Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region" aiming to improve the mental wellbeing of citizens. In short, Arts on Prescription is a non-clinical health programme in which people with mild to moderate mental health problems are referred to arts and cultural activities. To better grasp the Arts on Prescription concept, watch a short animation that introduces the idea of the novel approach and its benefits.
10 May, 2024
A project Solutions for Age-friendly Employer (SAFE) receives funding from the Interreg Central Baltic
Across the NDPHS partner countries, more and more people are working later in life. Due to their chronological age, older workers however often face ageism in the form of prejudice, discrimination, or neglect. To advance the NDPHS and PA Health in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region work on promoting active and healthy ageing, we are glad to announce the launch of a project SAFE.
17 April, 2024
Harnessing Collective Strength to Advance Occupational Safety and Health in the Baltic Sea Region
The International Labour Organization (ILO) member States amendments to the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work to explicitly include "a safe and healthy working environment" is a pivotal moment in the effort to prioritize occupational safety and health on a broader scale. Amidst these developments and considering the profound changes in the world of work, what steps can be undertaken to elevate occupational safety and health standards within the NDPHS countries and give effect to the amended Declaration?
9 April, 2024
The MentalHealthMatters project uncovers the gaps and opportunities in education and training on psychosocial factors at work during a workshop in Helsinki
In March, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health welcomed the MentalHealthMatters transnational consortium and the NDPHS Expert Group on Occupational Safety and Health to Helsinki. The project partners and invited guests delved deeper into the education and training of the employers and OSH professionals on mental health related risks and resources at work. The purpose was to explore areas where reform would be needed to build a stronger know-how for action in the workplaces.
4 April, 2024
World TB Day 2024 – ‘Yes! We can end TB!’ The NDPHS Expert Group of HIV, TB & AI begins a project on Latent Tuberculosis Infection Inventory
Every year on March 24 we commemorate World TB Day to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis and to step up efforts to end the epidemic. In the Northern Dimension countries TB disease incidence has gone down thanks to successful control measures. However, a much larger number of people is latently infected, forming a reservoir for TB cases in the future. To better understand the situation, our Expert Group on HIV, TB & AI with Finnish Lung Health Association leading the project, will conduct a study on latent tuberculosis infection in the region.
22 March, 2024
The Northern Dimension Partnership of the Happiest States! Finland ranked the world’s happiest country with other Nordic countries following among the 10 most cheerful on Earth
The top 10 countries have remained much the same since before COVID. Our Partner country Finland is at the top for the 7th consecutive year, with Sweden closely following and Baltic countries being amongst those with one of the largest increase in happiness. The NDPHS thematic priorities - active and healthy ageing and wellbeing for all are listed among the reasons why people feel content and satisfied.
20 March, 2024
NDPHS congratulates Sweden for becoming a NATO member
On 7 March 2024 Sweden became Northern Atlantic Treaty Organisation's (NATO) newest member. With Sweden’s accession, all NDPHS Partner countries have now joined the Allience which counts 32 countries among its members. The NDPHS Secretariat congratulates our colleagues and partners in Sweden and across the Partnership on this important event.
11 March, 2024
Enhancing Mental Health: Fostering Well-Being in the Baltic Sea Region
Can our mental well-being be positively affected by the power of art? We believe so. The idea of the Arts on Prescription project is that people with a diagnosed mental condition get a prescription for engaging in cultural activities which has been proven to have a positive effect on mental health. Read an interview with our project partner, Marta Ciesielska from Poland and step into the challenges public authorities face and the innovative solutions offered by this project.
13 February, 2024
Moving from What’s the matter with you? to What matters to you? – Humanising healthcare through social prescribing
Social prescribing is an approach that enables a range of stakeholders – often based in health-care – to connect individuals to non-clinical or non-therapy services and activities to empower them and improve their mental well-being. The Arts on Prescription model we use in our Interreg BSR project is one approach to social prescribing.
1 February, 2024
Mental health at work high on the political agenda
In 2023 the European Commission established tackling psychosocial risks at work as one of its key commitments in the Comprehensive Action on Mental Health. In 2024, the political commitments to improving mental health at work have not slowed down – in fact, on the contrary, action has only intensified both in the EU and the Baltic Sea Region.
29 January, 2024
NDPHS Partnership Annual Conference at the ministerial level gives a strong mandate to continue the work
On 17 January 2024, the Partnership Annual Conference convened in Stockholm to celebrate 20 years of collaboration within the NDPHS framework. Health Ministers from Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden, the State Secretary of Health and Care Services from Norway, and WHO Regional Director Dr. Hans Kluge gathered in Stockholm to reaffirm their commitment to the Partnership.
25 January, 2024
The conference “Connecting science and well-being: Addressing antibiotic resistance through prevention and health promotion”
The thematic Side Event to the 16th Partnership Annual Conference, which took place the day before the ministerial meeting, investigated the science of prevention and behavioural insights in the work against antimicrobial resistance. Presentations and a panel discussion by regional experts on the topic took the participants on a journey from the gut to the globe.
23 January, 2024
The NDPHS Secretariat is looking for an intern
Gain practical knowledge and professional experience related to the NDPHS activities, we are looking for a motivated trainee to join our team in the NDPHS Secretariat in Stockholm, Sweden. The programme grants a monthly scholarship. Read more what is in it for you and begin 2024 with a unique experience!
11 December, 2023
WHO report on Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases “Learning from the Arts”
There is a growing momentum to integrate the arts into the practices of the health-care sector. Research on the effects of arts on health and well-being has increased during the past two decades. There is now a body of evidence that arts interventions play a significant role in the prevention of ill health, promotion of good health and management and treatment of disease. The report summarizes the value of arts interventions for health, focusing on initiatives into prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases.
5 December, 2023
World Antimicrobial Awareness Week: Global Collaborations and Collective Action
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health threat across human, animal, plant, food, and environmental sectors. AMR is also one of the thematic areas of the NDPHS and every year in November, we join the global campaign to raise awareness and understanding about this pressing health threat.
20 November, 2023
Registrations open to the Thematic Side Event of the Partnership Annual Conference on January 16, 2024
The NDPHS Expert Group on Antimicrobial Resistance in collaboration with the NDPHS Secretariat and the Swedish Chair invite you to the conference in Stockholm about the prevention of antibiotic resistance by using health promotion and behavioral insights.
30 October, 2023
Policy Area Health in the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2023
The 14th EUSBSR Annual Forum, organized in the City of Riga on 4-5 October, invited participants to celebrate and reinforce multilevel cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region. The official programme included the joint PA Health and PA Education workshop and the kick-off event for the project – “Economy of Wellbeing of People”, financed by the Swedish Institute.
27 October, 2023
Arts on Prescription pilot programmes started in cities and regions in Denmark, Germany, Poland, Latvia and Sweden
Public authorities and cultural and health institutions have started their first out of three piloting phases in October 2023. The idea behind the Arts on Prescription concept is that people dealing with mild to moderate mental health problems get a prescription not for medicine or therapy, but for taking part in creative and participatory activities in group settings.
20 October, 2023
The NordAN Conference and 2023 resolution: Upholding the alcohol retail monopoly system in nordic alcohol policy
The Nordic Alcohol and Drug Policy Network (NordAN) conference on 5-6 October 2023 in Tallinn, Estonia was organized under the theme "Rethinking Addiction: Policy, Prevention, and Progress". The 2023 resolution was adopted during the NordAN General Assembly meeting on October 5.
10 October, 2023
MentalHealthMatters partners tackle challenges and gaps related to mental health at work
Since the beginning of the MentalHealthMatters project in August, the partners in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, and Norway have been working with policymakers, employers, employees, researchers and other stakeholders to identify the national gaps in data and policy related to workplace psychosocial risks. Read what happened when the partners got together to discover the joint gaps and challenges.
28 September, 2023
The NDPHS Expert Group on HIV, Tuberculosis & Associated Infections welcomes a new International Technical Advisor
The NDPHS family is pleased to welcome Ms Marja Suomela from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare as the new International Technical Advisor (ITA) of the HIV, TB & AI Expert Group. Read our express interview with Ms Suomela about her thoughts on the topic and what the Expert Group has on its agenda for the months and years to come.
12 September, 2023
International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day
On September 9th, International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day is observed. People all around the world raise awareness about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy and the plight of individuals and families who struggle with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders which can turn into a lifelong disability.
8 September, 2023
PA Health and PA Education workshop at the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2023
The kick-off event for the joint PA Health (NDPHS Secretariat) and PA Education (Norden Association) project – “Economy of Wellbeing of People” will be held on October 4 in Riga. Register by September 10 and join us.
7 September, 2023
The MentalHealthMatters project’s kick-off
After receiving the positive news about funding in the Spring of 2023, the NDPHS Secretariat, our Expert Group on Occupational Safety and Health and project partners from Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway and Poland have been actively plotting the project’s implementation and identifying national priorities and approaches. We now move from plans to action.
21 August, 2023
Lessons learned from the tested Arts on Prescription concept in Denmark
With the goal to improve their mental and social well-being and quality of life, 10 participants met voluntarily over a period of 8 weeks and took part in different cultural activities. A short film gives valuable insights into experiences of participants, coordinators and facilitators of the programme that has been evaluated in 2023. Read six most important conclusions of the evaluation.
17 August, 2023
World Hepatitis Day 2023
You’ve only got one life, and you’ve only got one liver. Hepatitis can devastate both. Viral hepatitis still kills over a million people every year and there’s a huge number of undiagnosed and untreated people living with hepatitis. This must change. Don’t miss the target: stopping a hepatitis C epidemic requires quick action - both prevention and improving testing and access to treatment.
31 July, 2023
Communication from the European Commission: A comprehensive approach to mental health
Today’s challenges on mental health can affect everybody and require concerted actions and the full commitment of all actors involved. Mental health is an integral part of people’s health. This Communication is the beginning of a new strategic approach to mental health, cross-sectoral in nature, going beyond health policy.
12 June, 2023
NDPHS as the Policy Area Health Coordinator for the EUSBSR participates in the conference “Fostering Sustainable Cooperation between the Baltic Sea region and Ukraine”
The event in Gotland on June 6 is a continuation of the Swedish Presidency initiative which introduced how the format of macro-regional strategies, such as the EUSBSR and the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, can foster cooperation with Ukraine. PA Health will organize a workshop "Supporting health care" and explore possibilities for cooperation between Ukraine and the Baltic Sea Region. Register no later than June 2.
1 June, 2023
Online event “Approaches to culture and health cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region” recording available
The potential benefits of art and culture for health and well-being have been well studied and proven – but how to turn theory into practice? In this online event, we showcased examples of concrete cross-sectoral actions and initiatives done in the Baltic Sea Region.
31 May, 2023
Public Health in the context of the Polish response to the refugee crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine
Currently Poland is hosting the largest number of refugees from Ukraine, roughly 1.5 million. This article, prepared in connection to the European Public Health Week, tells the story of how Poland mobilised to ensure the Ukrainian refugees the access to HIV treatment and medicine
24 May, 2023
A story from Ukraine
This is the story of Anastasia, an HIV positive person, who fled the war in Ukraine to Finland and found a way to continue her antiretroviral treatment. The article is prepared in connection to the European Public Health Week 2023.
24 May, 2023
The WHO European Region to relocate the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases from Moscow to Copenhagen
A special session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe was held in a virtual format on 15 May 2023, where Sweden and the majority of WHO Member States in the WHO European Region decided to relocate the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD) from Moscow to Copenhagen. The decision was taken in support of Ukraine and enables the WHO to continue its work fighting noncommunicable diseases in Europe.
16 May, 2023
New guide for arts and health collaboration
Together with the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture we are delighted to launch a guide: “Talking Points: Arts and Health in Communities”. The guide is about arts-based interventions that combine medical and cultural approaches with the aim of offering support to arts and health practitioners interested in creative approaches to wellbeing.
16 May, 2023
Mental Health Matters – an NDPHS project on mental health at work selected for funding
Today, on the annual World Day for Safety and Health at Work, we are happy to announce that Mental Health Matters, a project developed by the NDPHS Expert Group on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH EG) together with the NDPHS Secretariat, has been approved for funding by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme. The project aims at improving mental health at work, thus contributing to the well-being of citizens and the resilience of enterprises and societies.
28 April, 2023
NDPHS congratulates Finland for becoming a NATO member
4 April 2023 marked a historic day for one of the NDPHS Partner Countries. The blue cross flag was raised at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Finland had just become the 31st member of the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
5 April, 2023
Using behavioral insights in public health programming
As public health professionals, we tend to rely on education and training to encourage people to adopt more healthy behavior. Although we know that often, even when people know how to behave healthily, they choose not to do so. This is because behaviors are driven by multiple socioeconomic and cultural factors. Knowledge alone does not necessarily change behaviors.
28 March, 2023
World Tuberculosis Day: ‘Yes! We can end TB!’
Tuberculosis remains a major public health challenge in some of the NDPHS partner countries, and it is crucial that governments and international organizations continue to prioritize its prevention and treatment, on World TB Day 2023 emphasizes the NDPHS Expert Group on HIV, TB, and Associated Infections. While progress has been made, there is still much more work to be done.
24 March, 2023
The NDPHS Secretariat is looking for an intern
If you are interested and motivated to gain a hands-on experience in an international environment, the NDPHS Secretariat Internship Programme in Stockholm, Sweden is for you. Join our team to gain practical knowledge and professional experience related to the NDPHS activities.
23 March, 2023
Barbro Westerholm, an activist and politician has passed away
Barbro Westerholm, an activist, politician, and Nordic Public Health Prize laureate for fighting ageism, has passed away at the age of 89. Barbro has led by example and has paved the way for work against discrimination that is still ongoing today.
16 March, 2023
Policy Areas Health and Education propose a flagship for inclusive growth and well-being across EUSBSR actions
The Economy of Wellbeing of People Flagship - fostering cohesion towards a sustainable working life and ageing. The NDPHS and the Norden Association Sweden, the Policy Area Coordinators in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region have applied for funding to the Swedish Institute's Baltic Sea Neighborhood Program to develop the Flagship concept.
14 March, 2023
A new project aiming to improve the mental wellbeing of citizens
NDPHS Secretariat and Odense Municipality in Denmark are excited to announce a new Interreg Baltic Sea Region project called: "Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region". The project will be developed in collaboration with twelve other partners from seven countries within the Baltic Sea Region from 2023-2025.
9 February, 2023
Changing Patterns in Alcohol Consumption in the Nordic Countries
What are the challenges within alcohol use prevention work in the region and what opportunities a transnational collaboration can bring? In this episode we discuss changes in alcohol consumption patterns in our region and the most effective policy options to reduce health and economic harms from it. Episode’s expert guest is Håkan Leifman from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
3 February, 2023
The new NDPHS Strategy has been adopted
The Strategy is guiding the Partnership’s work from 2023 to 2025. The aim of this document is to describe how the Partnership intends to be, change, and contribute to a better world, and guide the Partnership’s ambition to do meaningful and impactful work, to stand by our values, and to continue sharing knowledge, learning from each other, and caring for people.
26 January, 2023
World AIDS Day
On the 1st December the globe commemorates World AIDS Day, this year under a slogan “Equalize”. Our Expert Group on HIV, Tuberculosis and Associated Infections find it extremely important to remind the NDPHS Partners that HIV infection continues to persist and is not yet eliminated as a public health threat, and inequality is one of the factors which stiffens the progress, also in our region.
1 December, 2022
Establishment of a network of local communities for collaboration on preventive work to reduce the harm caused by alcohol and drugs across the Baltic Sea Region
The network is aiming to become a platform for sharing knowledge, learning from each other, and building capacity in strengthening community actions in health promotion and alcohol prevention.
28 November, 2022
The #CultureForHealth Report is now available
Scoping review of culture, well-being, and health interventions and their evidence, impacts, challenges and policy recommendations for Europe.
25 November, 2022
Looking back at the Baltic Sea Youth Declaration 2020
Throughout the last two years we as the PA Health coordinator have conceptually embedded the youth recommendations into our actions and thematic priorities. We look forward to continuing our work in advocating for young peoples' concerns.
8 November, 2022
Ageism and Different Narratives of Ageing
What is ageism? What are the leading factors on the change in how we see and feel about ageing and ageing populations? Can a person have SELF-ageism? In this episode we are getting to know what is meant by ageism and how the narratives could be changed for a more positive look on ageing.
31 October, 2022
The 13th Annual Forum of the EUSBSR
The 13th Annual Forum took place from 28th to 29th of September in Lappeenranta, Finland. Amongst other excellent speakers, Dr Ülla-Karin Nurm, Director of the NDPHS Secretariat, participated in the parallel session "Recovery after shocks" representing Policy Area Health.
24 October, 2022
Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis: People Living with HIV/AIDS
This episode brings our attention to the Ukrainian Humanitarian Crisis and people living with HIV/AIDS. Together with our guests we look for narratives of hope, highlight success stories and create an overview of what has been done in the region.
4 October, 2022
Economy of Well-being
We discuss the Economy of Well-being with a feminist economist Anni Marttinen from SOSTE (Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health).
4 October, 2022
Tune in Health – a new podcast series
We are starting a podcast series. Tune in to health and well-being related conversations with expert guests and listen in-depth analysis of the daily issues in the Northern Europe, Baltic Sea region and beyond.
31 August, 2022
AgeFLAG Roadmap
The project “Roadmap to improve the health and well-being of the ageing population in the Baltic Sea Region (AgeFLAG)” focuses on challenges and needs for supporting this process in the Northern Dimension area.
4 May, 2022
Can culture improve our well-being?
The project "The Art of Staying Healthy" aims to develop collaboration between the arts and health sectors and to pilot arts interventions on the health and well-being of people and communities in the area.
25 January, 2022