Commission on Social Determinants of Health, 2005-2008

The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) was established by WHO in March 2005 to support countries and global health partners in addressing the social factors leading to ill health and health inequities. The Commission aimed to draw the attention of governments and society to the social determinants of health and in creating better social conditions for health, particularly among the most vulnerable people. The commission delivered it's report to the World Health Organisation in July 2008 and it subsquently ended it's functions.
Overarching recommendations of the Commission
- Improve daily living conditions
- Tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money, and resources
- Measure and understand the problem and assess the impact of action
Final report of the Commission
Areas of work of the Commission
In order to achieve its goals, the Commission on Social Determinants of Health focused on the following:
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Country action
The Commission supported some countries to develop policies that address the social causes of poor health and inequities. -
Civil society
Civil society organizations from all regions provided vital inputs to the Commission's work. -
Knowledge networks
The networks collated knowledge and evidence to support policy design and action.
Documents
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• Interim Statement of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health 2007
The Interim Statement sets out the Commission’s vision and goals, the problems it addresses, and the intellectual foundation for a social determinants approach. -
• A conceptual framework for action on the social determinants of health, 2007
The paper aimed to share understanding of the issues surrounding health equity, and orient the work of the CSDH with a common framework. A first draft of the paper was prepared for the May 2005 Cairo meeting of the CSDH. -
• Social determinants, political contexts and civil society action, 2006 [pdf, 1.14Mb]
A historical perspective on the CSDH. -
• Action on social determinants of health: learning from previous experiences, 2005
Background information prepared for the CSDH. -
• Who we are (English) [pdf, 747kb]
Details of the goals, themes, country examples, civil society participation, knowledge networks, and the Commissioners. - • Who we are (French) [pdf, 5.54Mb]
- • Who we are (Spanish) [pdf, 5.51Mb]