Health Equity Policy Tool: a framework to track policies for increasing health equity in the WHO European Region
Overview
The principles of leaving no one behind and creating conditions for all people to flourish are essential to the goals of WHO and United Nations agencies and to their Members States and partners. They underpin the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, WHO’s 13th General programme of work and the strategic objectives of the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s Health 2020 policy framework.
Health inequity is one of the main challenges of our time. Many people are prevented from enjoying a good quality of life and well-being because of barriers to fair and equal opportunities for health. Across the WHO European Region, the goals of reducing barriers to health equity, tackling vulnerability and increasing solidarity for health are reflected in the high-level commitments and strategies of Member States.
The Health Equity Policy Tool has been developed to support WHO Member States and partners to strengthen the implementation of these commitments and strategies through specific policy actions. To accelerate progress in reaching those being left behind because of poor health and in preventing others from falling behind, policy action is required that reaches not only the most vulnerable but also those disproportionally at risk of avoidable poor health.
The Health Equity Policy Tool will act as an enabler to promote and monitor such policies in the Region through:
- creating equal opportunities for health across the life-course
- reducing unequal exposure to avoidable health risks
- mitigating the consequences of accumulated social, economic and health disadvantage.