Sebastiano Maccioni, 105 years of age, attributes his long and happy life to the strong social connections he’s always maintained within his community in Nuoro, Italy. His lifestyle has contributed significantly: he has a healthy diet, stays active and, most importantly, he keeps his mind engaged through various activities, such as tending to his vegetable garden and reading the newspaper. Sebastiano always had access to fundamental necessities: a steady job, good food, safe shelter, and clean air. His life exemplifies the essence of well-being and health equity, which extends beyond financial wealth.
Sebastiano provides us with a real-life example of the ongoing work of the WHO European Office for Investment and Development (WHO Venice Office) with countries, regions and cities. For 20 years, the Venice Office has developed invaluable evidence, metrics and policy guidance to support decision-makers and partners to implement solutions to reduce inequities and ensure people can live healthy lives and prosper.
Celebrating two decades of work for equity and well-being
“The best way of realizing the value and impact of our Venice Office over the past 20 years is to imagine it didn’t exist,” said WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, as he opened the event celebrating the Office’s 20th anniversary on 9 April in Venice, Italy. “The Venice Office is truly one of WHO/Europe’s success stories: a powerhouse and an ally to policy-makers working on reducing inequalities, from local to global. A centre of excellence that convenes leaders and experts from different disciplines around this common goal.”
"Reducing inequalities to reach the goal of leaving no one behind is connected to our institutional objective,” said Giovanni Leonardi, Chief of the Department of One Health and International Relations at the Ministry of Health in Italy. “Italy currently holds the Presidency of the G7, which has life-long prevention and healthy aging as one of its priorities.”
“Italy is more than a host – it's a collaborative partnership where, together, we're shaping the future of health and development,” said Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Director of WHO/Europe’s Division of Country Health Policies & Systems. “Thanks to the work of the WHO Venice Office, we support 12 of the smallest countries in the WHO European Region to address their unique health challenges and enhance the well-being of their populations; we strengthen the capacity of 41 regional authorities, enabling impactful health initiatives at the grassroots level; and, among others, our Venice Office has trained 2000 medical professionals to prevent and reduce gender-based violence within health-care systems, promoting safer environments for all.”
Life lessons from 100-year-olds
The WHO Venice Office leads the way across the world in close collaboration – or collaborazione – with its host country, Italy, in generating evidence and decision-making tools that countries can use to invest in health, equity and healthier societies, which are critical for cohesive, safe communities, and to enable people to live in dignity and thrive, regardless of their age.
When asked about the secret behind his old age, Sebastiano is very clear, “I am very aged, but not old. I don’t feel old. And the most beautiful thing in my life is that I have always lived with my family,” he says. “The advice I give to my grandson is to find something to always keep you busy.”
Investing in health throughout the life course should be seen as a progressive, economic investment, stressed Manuela Lanzarin, Councillor for Social Services of the Veneto Region. A healthy population contributes to increased productivity along with reduced health-care costs and burdens on our health systems.
According to Simone Venturini, City Councillor for Social Cohesion, Tourism and Economic Development of Venice, cities play a crucial role by ensuring all sectors join in the fight against inequities, not just health care. When health and well-being are included in all policies, it provides a sustainable community model.
“The Venice Office focuses on innovative collaboration across countries and cities, working with health, economy, finance and social ministries,” explained Venice Office Head, Christine Brown. “Together, we address pressing challenges, such as social exclusion, aging populations, loneliness and mental health, and urban-rural inequities. It’s crucial we invest in solutions that lead to healthier and more prosperous societies in which all people can thrive and prosper.”
Investing in well-being
Steering our societies towards a new direction at a time of political and societal polarizations, within a limited and squeezed fiscal space, is a challenge for the entire Region. The challenge is felt particularly in Central Asia and the Western Balkans, where many working-age people are migrating, often leaving the most vulnerable behind.
In connection to the Venice Office celebrations, the second meeting of the Finding Common Ground initiative, coordinated by WHO/Europe, was convened. The initiative brings together representatives from the public health, economy and finance sectors, and central banks. This cross-sectoral dialogue builds upon the recent WHO European Regional High-Level Forum on Health in the Well-being Economy, and the Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development.
The initiative aims to create new modelling tools for central banks and finance ministries, shaping fiscal and economic policies to enhance health equity and overall well-being. It also highlights the co-benefits of health and equity for fiscal stability and economic prosperity.
“This meeting allowed us to delve deeper into opportunities related to youth mental health, while also examining the crucial aspect of healthy aging,” explained Venice Office Head, Christine Brown. “Outlining shared models across health, finance, economy, and central bank interests will enable us to strengthen much-needed cross-sectoral cooperation and engage countries in developing collaborative models.”
The Venice Office 20th anniversary event discussions feed into the International Well-being Economy Forum taking place in Iceland in June, as well as Italy’s ambitions of investing in a life-course approach to healthy aging as one of its G7 Presidency priorities.
The Venice Office is also taking its policy and advocacy work forward through a side event at the UN General Assembly’s Forum of the Future in New York in September.