To address the recent media reports regarding Estonia’s withdrawal from the NDPHS Secretariat, the following statement will correct some facts and provide essential context on the organization’s current operations and its value to the region:

Immediate Cessation of Russian Cooperation. It is imperative to clarify that the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS) terminated all cooperation with Russia in early 2022 and has since focused its activities on unwavering solidarity and support for Ukraine. We fully share the position of condemning Russia’s aggression. Our strategic goal is to preserve and value a functional Nordic-Baltic Sea network built on inclusiveness, equality, trust, and shared agenda-setting that advances common health and social well-being objectives across the region.

In 2024, this commitment was reaffirmed at the Partnership Annual Conference, a ministerial-level event led by Sweden. The ministers adopted a Declaration emphasizing the importance of maintaining regional collaboration and urging like-minded partners who share democratic values to improve the health and well-being of everyone in the region. The partners also called for strengthened collective efforts to support Ukraine.

The NDPHS is an intergovernmental organisation formally established in Oslo, Norway, in 2003 through the Oslo Declaration.

The Partnership Secretariat was established in 2012 as an international legal entity hosted by the Swedish Government, based in Stockholm.

Since 2009, the NDPHS has served as the Policy Area Coordinator for “Health” (PA Health)  in the European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR). As the Coordinator for Policy Area Health, the partnership plays an important role in implementing the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.

In recent years, it has undergone a thorough renewal to better address the region’s security and health challenges. With the long-standing experience in regional cooperation and a well-established network, the Partnership is uniquely positioned to deliver maximum strategic and operational synergy across the Nordic–Baltic Sea region.

Value and Financial Leverage for Estonia. Funding through NDPHS-related project consortia has generated 956,750 EUR in direct value for Estonian institutions since 2023. These initiatives enable the implementation of health-promoting and social innovation initiatives in practice that would otherwise remain at the ideation stage, thereby providing financial leverage and added value that far exceed the state’s own contribution to participate in the network.

The NDPHS remains committed to a unified and constructive line with Nordic and Baltic Sea neighbours to ensure regional stability. Actions that signal fragmentation risk reinforce narratives that benefit those seeking to undermine our regional unity.