Sustainable societies do better. Investing in the wellbeing of people and communities, building resilience and preventing problems pays off. This was the baseline of a conference entitled ‘Sustainable Societies: Health and Social Investment in the EU’ that took place in Brussels, in June 2016.
Conference speakers and panelists explored how current UN and EU-level instruments like the EU Semester process and the potential Social Pillar can lead to more sustainable societies. Highlights included:
• Powerful contributions from senior-level policy makers and European Commission Officials on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which can be a springboard for new actions for wellbeing, health, social inclusion and the environment. Inspiring views were expressed by Mr. Karl-Friedrich Falkenberg, Senior Advisor to President Juncker on sustainable development; by Dr Claudia Stein, Health Information Director for WHO Europe; and Mr. Thomas Dominique, Chair of the EU Social Protection Committee;
• Important practical initiatives from Spain, Sweden and Wales, including a legal Act on the wellbeing of future generations, and showing how health promoting methods can be an integral part of innovative approaches for sustainable development.
The Conference was organized by EuroHealthNet, hosted by the Committee of Regions and supported by the European Commission EaSI programme. A detailed summary of the event is available on the EuroHealthNet website.