Promoting women's health through health in all policies approach

Health is a core element in people’s well-being and happiness. Unfortunately women’s health needs are often disregarded and in many societies they are not included by policy makers when crafting health policies for the specific regions. According to a report released by UNRISD and the Government of Finland –HiAP – Health in All Policies is an approach to public policies and needs to be founded on health related rights and obligations. The Core features of HiAP include a strong foundation on human rights and social justice, and a focus on policy-making and the Finnish government further states that it is often necessary to prioritize efforts; seek synergies to enhance health.  According to the Adelaide Statement on Health in all Policies a healthy population and especially healthy women are a key requirement for the achievement of society’s goals. Reducing gender inequalities and the social gradient improves health and well-being for everyone. Good health enhances quality of life, improves workforce productivity, increases the capacity for learning, strengthens families and communities, supports sustainable habitats and environments, and contributes to security, poverty reduction and social inclusion. This presentation will discuss the progress made in the past 5 years in advancing gender specific medicine and public health and in turn how this has contributed to the inclusion of a cyclic approach to women’s health. A brief discussion about Beijing document and its role in putting women’s health on the international agenda will also be made.