Many countries in the AFRO Region are experiencing unprecedented societal transformation brought by increased populations, greater urbanization, environmental and other changes, often stimulated by globalization of markets and communication, as well as complex emergencies. These changes require comprehensive approaches to health that make it possible to address the broader determinants of health. Within the context of Primary Health Care, Health promotion has been proven as an effective means for achieving improved outcomes in the prevention and control of both chronic, and communicable diseases, and in meeting the UN Health-Related Millennium Development Goals, particularly among poor and marginalized groups.

Carrying out Health promotion in settings where people of any age live, work, learn and play is a creative and effective way of improving health and quality of life. Health promotion has a crucial role to play in fostering healthy public policies, health supportive environments, enhancing positive social conditions and personal skills, and promoting healthy lifestyles. With this understanding, AFRO continues to support countries to develop and implement health promotion policies, strategies, programmes and interventions aimed at ensuring the involvement of all of society in health development.

While some progress has been made in strengthening the capacity and infrastructure for the planning and implementation of multi-sectoral health promotion, there is still need for policies and programmes to be strengthened in most countries. This is necessary because the majority of countries of the Region have inadequate policy frameworks, human and financial resources necessary for sustainable, effective health promotion to counter health risks and their underlying determinants.

There is an urgent need to orient health systems more towards health promotion and to build their capacity to promote health. This can be done for example through provision of guidance for incorporating integrated strategies for health promotion into national health plans, development of new and innovative ways for securing sustainable funding and accurate and updated health promotion profiles, strengthening of education and training and expansion of the evidence base for health promotion.

Advocacy for policy support for health promotion is also vital. Effective policies need to be multi-sectoral and draw upon a broad range of partners, including the wider community, for their development and implementation. Governments must play a stronger role in developing healthy public policies; health ministries need to take the lead by advocating for the development and adoption of these policies.

AFRO health promotion programme is actively involved in supporting WHO priority programmes to use health promotion to increase community and societal participation in programme activities. A framework is being developed to facilitate addressing of several risk factors such as unsafe sex, physical inactivity, poor diet, alcohol and other substance abuse, through comprehensive interventions.

Events:

20th IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion
11-15 July 2010, Geneva, Switzerland

7th Global Conference on Health Promotion (7GCHP) - Promoting health and development: closing the implementation gap26–30 October 2009, Nairobi, Kenya,