Editorial: Health promotion, resilience is thy name…

Dear members of the EUPHA Health Promotion Section,

This editorial was intended to focus on the celebrations of the 40^th anniversary of the Ottawa Charter (WHO, 1986) but there is so much going on these days that maybe the priority is elsewhere. Much has been said about the increase in social and health inequalities, as well as the erosion of our democratic institutions and processes. This is not happening out of the blue. There is now a large body of evidence pointing to the responsibility of powerful vested interests. Investigative journalism has documented over and over Europe’s and the US’s oligarchs openly funding far-right political parties and movements to block progress in tackling global warming and social inequities. We could retreat into our shells, waiting for the storm to pass by but this is obviously not who we are. History has shown that Public Health has hope and courage in its DNA and is embodied by people who are steadfast in their commitment to improving people’s health and well-being.

Health promotion makes a unique contribution to this fight. With our extensive knowledge, experience, strategies and core values, our domain is especially well positioned to strengthen the resilience of the population and enable people to cope with the multiple crises that we see unfolding. This is particularly true of our work at the local level. Through community health actions, health promotion empowers populations so they can better mobilise their resources and develop innovative practices that can make a huge difference in improving people’s lives. The primary role of health promotion in this case is to create spaces that bring people together so they can get to know each other better, share on their problems and aspirations, and develop innovative practices.

When central governments are locked into an austerity agenda, change can only come from the local level. There are many examples of this. Consider, for example, how Big Tobacco was unable to reverse the trend of bans on public smoking, which were first initiated by small towns and cities. Consider also the history of institutions that make the core components of our welfare state regimes. These often originated from local workers unions, which developed solutions to protect their members and their families from falling into the trap of poverty when illness or other life events deprived them of their income. There are countless examples of positive change against all odds or gains in civil rights that started from the initiative of a handful of closely connected people before spreading to the whole country. 

Nobody can predict the outcomes of the world events that dominate the news. What we need to pay attention to, is preserving the capacity of our health systems to support our community health workers in doing their job, and to increase societal resilience. This is a goal all can agree on, and where change becomes possible.

We will, of course, celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ottawa Charter. To know more, read our first news item below.

Thank you for reading us,

Eric Breton, President of the Health Promotion Section
Elisabeth Nöhammer, Vice President

And the members of the Steering Committee: Chrysanthi Tatsi, Dulce Maria do Nascimento do Ó, John Dierx, Karina Leksy, Michelle Baybutt, Monica O’Mullane, Roosa-Maria Savela, Sherihane Bensemmane, Suzannah D’Hooghe and, Ursula Griebler.

What are you up to for the celebration of the 40^th anniversary of the Ottawa Charter (no room for nostalgia here)

Our Section wishes to support and amplify a Europe-wide conversation about the future of health promotion. In addition to the webinars and activities at the next EPH conference in Bilbao, there are two main initiatives that may get you onboard.

What would the Ottawa Charter look like if it were written in 2026? Perspectives from young professionals

Borrowing from the title of Donald Nutbeam’s 2008 paper, we are calling on colleagues teaching on bachelor’s, master’s, PhD’s programmes in public health or related domains to get the voices of their students heard on what an updated perspective on health promotion should look like. The results of these discussions will be featured in our newsletters and in the webinars that we will organise throughout the year. There are many ways to proceed. The schools of public health in Rennes (France) and Grenada (Spain) are trialling a four-step strategy which goes as follow:

• First, have students read on the history of the Ottawa Charter, and on the context in which it was developed. Have a discussion on the whys and hows and on how the context of public health practice and policy has changed.
• Second, define the destination: What is needed for a population to achieve a high level of health and well-being? Have a conversation on the determinants of health and well-being.
• Third, how to get there? What is the pathway? What strategies are needed?
• Fourth, so then, what is health promotion?

Much care should be taken in keeping our students’ perspectives open (they should not be trapped into the straitjacket of the Ottawa Charter).

This is just one way to do things. Feel free to adapt this strategy or devise a completely different one to give our next generation of public health practitioners, activists and decision makers a voice. Please, do not hesitate to share your experience of the process and the results with Eric Breton (eric.breton@ehesp.fr). As mentioned, we would be delighted to showcase these efforts in our newsletter, webinars and other events.

You are organizing a conference, symposium, workshop to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ottawa Charter, then let us know

We are planning to build a map of the different events that will take place over the year. We will promote them through our newsletters and help organisers to connect with other colleagues across Europe so their events reach a larger audience. Write us (eric.breton@ehesp.fr)

EPH Conference Bilbao 2026: Pre-conference, workshop, what do you wish for?

Are you planning to attend the European Public Health Conference in Bilbao, and would like to organise a workshop or a pre-conference but are struggling to find speakers? Do not hesitate to let us know so we can get the word out. A workshop is more likely to be accepted when it features speakers from different countries. In case you are looking for collaboration, please do contact us as soon as possible (Elisabeth.Noehammer@umit-tirol.at). Deadline for abstract submission is, as always, May 1^st. And, as you know, time flies!

We hope to see you in Bilbao!

Webinars

Over the year, we will hold a number of webinars. Check out our next Newsletter for the details. Stay tuned and do not hesitate to suggest topics you would like to see addressed through our webinars.

Building population resilience

The Health Promotion Section is planning to intensify work on resilience, e.g. via grants, projects, etc. Please do contact us in case you are working on this topic and interested to collaborate with other colleagues (Elisabeth.Noehammer@umit-tirol.at).

And lastly!

Members of the steering committee would like to thank Camila Picchio for her commitment and contributions to the Health Promotion Section. Through her role of vice-president of the section, Camila has contributed greatly to the development of the section’s activities and the facilitation of the steering committee. With her hand full of projects and a new job, Camila has decided it would better for her to leave the place to someone who has more time. Elisabeth Nöhammer has gracefully accepted to take the role. We wish Camila all the best for this new chapter of her professional life.