Event highlights
National focal points from Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Portugal, Slovenia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland convened in Lisbon for the second meeting of the Advisory Committee supporting the development of the “WHO European Strategy on Ageing is Living: Promoting a Lifetime of Health and Well-being (2026–2030)”. The meeting was hosted by the Directorate-General of Health (DGS) of Portugal.
Nominated by their governments, these national experts are helping to shape a bold and actionable strategy to support countries in transforming health and social systems to meet the needs and rights of older persons.
“Portugal is proud to host this important meeting, helping to shape a shared European vision for healthy ageing – one that values dignity, inclusion and collective responsibility,” said Dr Rita Sá Machado, Director-General, Directorate-General of Health, Portugal.
Building on insights from the first Advisory Committee meeting and Member State interventions at the 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, discussions focused on making the strategy implementable and impactful. Participants explored practical ways to accelerate progress, including the proposed creation of a regional focal point network on healthy ageing and long-term care.
The meeting also reviewed the proposed actions under the 4 strategic areas – prioritizing prevention, transforming care ecosystems, creating enabling environments and challenging ageism – along with 5 cross-cutting enablers, using a structured matrix and targeted discussion questions to strengthen clarity, feasibility and implementation focus.
“This strategy must speak to those who will implement it – health and care providers, ministries, municipalities and older persons themselves,” said Dr Yongjie Yon, Technical Officer for Ageing and Health, WHO/Europe. “Together, we are working to make this strategy not only visionary but actionable.”
Dr Stefania Ilinca, Technical Officer for Long-term Care, WHO/Europe, added, “We are committed to developing a strategy that strengthens long-term care, promotes healthy ageing across the life course and supports countries in building systems that work for people – not just on paper but in practice.”
WHO/Europe will continue working closely with the Advisory Committee to draft the strategy ahead of formal consultations in 2026, with final adoption anticipated at the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe in October 2026.