Event highlights
Population ageing is already changing what people need from health and care systems. Yet countries across the WHO European Region face very different resources, governance arrangements and capacities to respond. A regional strategy will matter only if it can work across all these realities.
That was the central test when WHO/Europe convened the first formal technical consultation with Member States on “Ageing is living: a strategy for promoting a lifetime of health and well-being in the WHO European Region (2026–2030)”.
Building on extensive technical analysis and engagement with over 3000 stakeholders, Member States examined the proposed actions through the lens of implementation. They welcomed the strategy’s twin-track approach: meeting the needs of older people today while building the foundations for healthier ageing across the life-course.
Their feedback identified where the strategy needed to become sharper and more practical. Priorities included giving health promotion greater visibility alongside prevention; clarifying leadership across health, social care and other sectors; addressing workforce and financing constraints; and allowing countries to phase implementation according to their needs and capacities. Equity, older persons’ participation, community-based care, combating ageism, and digital inclusion were also emphasized as essential to delivery.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the United Nations Population Fund and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights joined WHO in the spirit of UN80 – working together with and for countries to connect health with human rights, demographic resilience, data and cross-sectoral action.
The feedback directly informed revisions to the strategy, which Member States would examine during a second formal technical consultation on 8 May. The message from the first round was clear: regional ambition must be matched by realistic pathways for country action.