Virtual Event 2021 statement
Public health futures in a changing world
14th European Public Health Conference
The 14th European Public Health (EPH) Conference is held from 10 – 12 November 2021 as a virtual conference. The theme of the Conference ‘Public health futures in a changing world’ was never as relevant as it was then.
Nearly two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can only begin to see the social, economic and health impact this pandemic has had on our society, on our population. Already, we have seen an increase in health inequalities, a loss of focus in controlling the impact of noncommunicable diseases (such as cancer and diabetes), a, sometimes nationalistic and pointless, battle for vaccines, and poor choices around the use of continued restrictions, rather than evidence-based public health actions.
The Conference Statement urges all governments to build back better and fairer after the COVID-19 pandemic, and in ways that will limit climate change and its impacts. In short, it calls upon national and international decision-makers to:
- Base decisions and actions on the best available evidence;
- Invest in health systems, information systems, and a qualified (public) health workforce;
- Acknowledge public health and the public’s health as cornerstones for a healthy and functioning society;
- Follow the guiding principles of Health in All Policies;
- Focus on reducing health inequalities within and between countries.
