NDPHS Partnership Annual Conference at the ministerial level gives a strong mandate to continue the work - NDPHS

NDPHS Partnership Annual Conference at the ministerial level gives a strong mandate to continue the work

25 January, 2024

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 on January 17  to reaffirm their commitment to the Partnership. The high-level participants expressed their determination to continue working collectively in the face of evolving geopolitical dynamics. The meeting was chaired by the Swedish Minister of Health, Mr. Jakob Forssmed.

 

NDPHS PAC 2024, Stockholm ©Government Offices of Sweden

Acknowledging the changing global landscape, the ministers explored new avenues of collaboration within the Partnership, particularly in emergency preparedness and response. All participants wholeheartedly welcomed the video intervention by the guest of honor, Minister of Health of Ukraine, Mr. Viktor Liashko, expressing interest in potential collaboration with Ukraine. The aim is a long-term cooperation and equal partnership where the partners work together and contribute from each side to the main purpose of mutual learning.

 

Minister of Health of Ukraine, Mr. Viktor Liashko addresses the Conference’s participants ©Government Offices of Sweden

The participants emphasized that there is much to be learned from Ukraine, especially when it comes to providing health and care services in times of crisis. The participants also recognized Ukraine’s resilience to implementing public health sector reforms despite all the hardships, highlighting the mutual benefits of cooperation.

The conference addressed the pressing issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one of the biggest public health threats of our lifetime, following the successful side-event on AMR, held the day before. The participants agreed that our region is doing relatively well, in terms of antimicrobial resistance levels and responsible consumption of antibiotics, but more can be done, in enhancing public communication, addressing environmental risks linked to pharmaceutical waste, and adopting a comprehensive government approach under health ministries’ leadership. The AMR Expert Group was requested to develop proposals for joint initiatives based on the discussions.

 

NDPHS PAC 2024, Stockholm ©NDPHS Secretariat

Other themes to be prioritized for collaboration within the Partnership include the shared challenges of tackling mental health crisis, digitalization of health services, and mitigating the impact of climate change on health. The Partners have a lot to learn from each other on these issues of common interest, consolidating positions to better meet the challenges, and as a result also securing more impact and stronger collective identity.

United in their vision for the future of the Partnership, the participants emphasized the importance of sustaining regional collaboration. They called for like-minded partners sharing the democratic values and commitment to improving health and well-being of all people in the region to join forces, unite in common actions, and speak in one voice.

The Conference marked the transition of chairship and passing over the leader’s baton from Sweden to Lithuania, with Norway assuming the role of co-Chair.

 

A symbolic passing of chairship from the Minister of Health of Sweden, Mr. Jakob Forssmed to the Minister of Health of Lithuania, Arūnas Dulkys ©Government Offices of Sweden

 

The Minister of Health of Sweden, Mr. Jakob Forssmed signs the Declaration ©Government Offices of Sweden

 

This gathering of friends and allies has brought a sense of content and hope, but also the recognition that now is not the moment for complacency. We are committed to go full steam ahead, with determination, agility, and pragmatism, as we stand united to support each other in these uncertain times.

For more information, read the Declaration and Chair’s Conclusions from the Conference.

Other News
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
All News >