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Scope
The Bangkok Charter
identifies actions, commitments and pledges required to address
the determinants of health in a globalized world through health
promotion.
Effective
interventions
Progress towards a
healthier world requires strong political action, broad
participation and sustained advocacy.
Health promotion has
an established repertoire of proven effective strategies which
need to be fully utilized.
Required actions
To make further
advances in implementing these strategies, all sectors and
settings must act to:
-
advocate
for health based on human rights and solidarity
-
invest
in sustainable policies, actions and infrastructure to address
the determinants of health
-
build capacity
for policy development, leadership, health promotion practice,
knowledge transfer and research, and health literacy
-
regulate and
legislate
to ensure a high level of protection from harm and enable equal
opportunity for health and well-being for all people
-
partner and
build alliances
with public, private, nongovernmental and international
organizations and civil society to create sustainable actions.
Key commitments
The four key
commitments are to make the promotion of health:
1.
central to the global development agenda
2.
a core responsibility for all of government
3.
a key focus of communities and civil society
4.
a requirement for good corporate practice.
1. Make the
promotion of health central to the global development agenda
Strong
intergovernmental agreements that increase health and collective
health security are needed. Government and international bodies
must act to close the health gap between rich and poor. Effective
mechanisms for global governance for health are required to
address all the harmful effects of:
-
trade
-
products
-
services, and
-
marketing strategies.
Health promotion
must become an integral part of domestic and foreign policy and
international relations, including in situations of war and
conflict.
This requires
actions to promote dialogue and cooperation among nation states,
civil society, and the private sector. These efforts can build on
the example of existing treaties such as the World Health
Organization Framework Convention for Tobacco Control.
2. Make the
promotion of health a core responsibility for all of government
All governments at
all levels must tackle poor health and inequalities as a matter of
urgency because health is a major determinant of socioeconomic and
political development. Local, regional and national governments
must:
-
give priority to investments in
health, within and outside the health sector
-
provide sustainable financing for
health promotion.
To ensure this, all
levels of government should make the health consequences of
policies and legislation explicit, using tools such as
equity-focused health impact assessment.
3. Make the
promotion of health a key focus of communities and civil society
Communities and
civil society often lead in initiating, shaping and undertaking
health promotion. They need to have the rights, resources and
opportunities to enable their contributions to be amplified and
sustained. In less developed communities, support for capacity
building is particularly important.
Well organized and
empowered communities are highly effective in determining their
own health, and are capable of making governments and the private
sector accountable for the health consequences of their policies
and practices.
Civil society needs
to exercise its power in the marketplace by giving preference to
the goods, services and shares of companies that exemplify
corporate social responsibility.
Grass-roots
community projects, civil society groups and women’s organizations
have demonstrated their effectiveness in health promotion, and
provide models of practice for others to follow.
Health professional
associations have a special contribution to make.
4. Make the
promotion of health a requirement for good corporate practice
The corporate sector
has a direct impact on the health of people and on the
determinants of health through its influence on:
-
local settings
-
national cultures
-
environments, and
-
wealth distribution.
The private sector,
like other employers and the informal sector, has a responsibility
to ensure health and safety in the workplace, and to promote the
health and well-being of their employees, their families and
communities.
The private sector
can also contribute to lessening wider global health impacts, such
as those associated with global environmental change by complying
with local national and international regulations and agreements
that promote and protect health. Ethical and responsible business
practices and fair trade exemplify the type of business practice
that should be supported by consumers and civil society, and by
government incentives and regulations.
Call for action
Conference participants request the
World Health Organization and its Member States, in collaboration
with others, to allocate resources for health promotion, initiate
plans of action and monitor performance through appropriate
indicators and targets, and to report on progress at regular
intervals. United Nations organizations are asked to explore the
benefits of developing a Global Treaty for Health.
Note: This charter contains
the collective views of an international group of experts,
participants of the 6th Global Conference on Health Promotion,
Bangkok, Thailand, August 2005, and does not necessarily represent
the decisions or the stated policy of the World Health
Organization.
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