2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion – a milestone that invites critical reflection and renewed commitment. In times of global challenges such as climate change, wars, demographic shifts and, not least, widening social and health inequalities including chronic disease, stress related disorders and mental ill health. The Charter’s vision of reorienting health services and enabling people to increase control over their health remains profoundly relevant.
2026 is also the year of the 30th anniversary of the Swedish HPH Network, one of the currently most active and engaged national networks in Europe with more than 60 member organizations.
The 31st International Conference on Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services (HPH) will unite professionals, researchers, policymakers, patient and citizen representatives and civil society to discuss how hospitals and health services can actively advance health, equity, and resilience in challenging times. It will consider the dual role of health promoting healthcare systems as contributors to inclusive, sustainable societies and as entities that must themselves become more resilient and adaptable.
Through plenary sessions, symposia, workshops, oral presentations, and poster contributions, the conference offers a platform to connect evidence, experience, and innovation, with the aim of equipping participants with practical insights and strategies to apply in their own fields of action, policy and research.
Guided by the cross-cutting themes of equity, inclusion, and collaboration, the program is organized around five main topics:
The 40th anniversary of the Ottawa Charter provides a timely opportunity to revisit its call for reorienting health systems to promote health, equity, and community empowerment. Today’s global crises demand healthcare systems to undergo profound transformation. This means becoming not only more resilient, but also visionary and future-oriented in terms of social, ecological, and institutional sustainability.
Central to this theme is the health of the workforce. Staff shortages in relation to an ageing workforce, physical and mental strain and burnout are no longer isolated issues. They represent structural risks that directly compromise the health of one of the three main target groups in the HPH model, which jeopardizes system capacity to serve population needs. Supporting those who care for others is essential for building adaptive and shock-resilient services.
Health and disease are influenced by a range of determinants that are unequally distributed across populations and societies. People with higher exposure to risk factors and poorer health resources have higher general vulnerability, including higher risks of developing diseases, earlier onset of disease and higher premature mortality. In addition, these groups struggle more with managing self-care and navigating healthcare systems and while having higher needs and being significant users of healthcare systems, are often underserved amongst patients. Health services therefore have a pronounced responsibility to identify health needs, health inequities and promoting equity across the life course.
This theme discusses how health services can foster fair and inclusive conditions for health and wellbeing from childhood to old age. Attention will be given to the diverse and evolving needs for health promotion, including disease prevention and healthcare across different population groups, with a particular focus on underserved and vulnerable populations. The role of hospitals and health services in addressing the broader determinants of health and tailoring responses to people’s needs across the life course will also be examined.
Concerns about declines in mental health have been increasing in many countries around the globe in recent years, as uncertainty about the future increasingly affects mental health and wellbeing across all ages. Growing mental strain related to social fragmentation and loneliness, climate anxiety, social insecurity, armed conflicts, and rapid digital and societal changes is creating complex psychological challenges. These include, among others, increased mental trauma and risks of radicalization and violence, with particularly strong effects on young and vulnerable populations. As stress and mental ill health are closely connected to somatic disease and ill health, they also increase the burden of disease on societies. In light of growing global challenges, it is crucial to highlight the strong interplay between psychosocial stress and metabolic disorders, including the rising impact of chronic anxiety on conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases. This bidirectional link between mental and physical health underscores the urgency of integrated strategies for effective stress management in healthcare settings.
In this theme, discussions will address the role of healthcare and health research as advocates for mental health and its impact on psychophysical health in all policies. This can be achieved by advancing mental health promotion, mental health literacy and reducing loneliness across sectors and settings through innovative approaches such as social and nature prescribing. Further focus will be placed on exploring options to lower thresholds for accessing community-based, innovative, and effective mental healthcare provision for those who need it. Approaches tailored to diverse needs and settings, promoting mental well-being with particular attention to social isolation and groups at risk, will be considered.
Digital transformation is reshaping society and healthcare, offering new opportunities to improve access to and efficiency of information and services, as well as patient and provider empowerment. Developments around artificial intelligence (AI), telemedicine, health apps and advanced data analytics bear the potential to support sustainable and equitable health promotion. However, these innovations also raise ethical, equity, and safety concerns not least in relation to disinformation or misuse of data.
This theme explores how HPH can embrace digital innovation while safeguarding ethical governance, privacy, and equity. Topics include the ethical use of AI and decision-making systems, digital health literacy, including critical health literacy, combating misinformation and the importance of inclusive digital strategies that can reduce disparities.
In times of global crises, population health and healthcare systems face complex challenges that cannot be solved by one sector alone. Creating sustainable, equitable, and resilient health promoting systems depends on strong partnerships that connect healthcare organizations and health researchers with communities, civil society, governing bodies, policymakers and commercial actors, in the sense of health in all policies. As trusted voices in society, healthcare professionals are also uniquely positioned to lead by example and advocate effectively for necessary changes within their own institutions and beyond, for instance by promoting sustainable practices which mitigate climate impact.
This theme will examine how healthcare services can analyze together with their partners the health needs of communities and societies. Based on this and their in-depth knowledge of causes of disease and ill health, they act as advocates and drivers for intersectoral alliances for health, as well as partners in developing and offering better living conditions, enhancing person-centered care, supporting workforce needs, and promoting social inclusion. By participating in and fostering such collaborations in a sustainable and scalable manner, health services can amplify their impact on population health and drive transformative change toward resilient and equitable healthcare systems and societies.