Finland participates in the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Wellbeing (NDPHS) to prevent widespread health problems and promote healthy lifestyles. Cooperation focuses on
- preventing social exclusion
- healthy lifestyle promotion
- HIV-AIDS prevention
- developing occupational health care
- TB prevention in prisons.
In 2012-2013 Finland holds the chairmanship of the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS) with Germany as vice-chair. Altogether eleven (11) countries (Iceland, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Russia, Estonia), 8 international NGOs and the European Commission take part in the activities within the Partnership that was launched in 2003.
The Partnership aims at preventing communicable and non-communicable diseases and improving the wellbeing and quality of life of the people living in the region. It enables better coordination and information exchange between the social and health sectors and, for example, their practices as well as better promotion of projects.
The Partnership has a two-member secretariat in Stockholm. The activities are coordinated by the Committee of Senior Representatives (CSR), which meets twice a year. At the political level, the activities are steered by the ministerial Partnership Annual Conference (PAC).
The core of the partnership is formed by four expert groups (EGs):
- HIV/AIDS and associated infections
- Primary and prison health systems
- Alcohol and substance abuse
- Non-Communicable Diseases related to Lifestyles and Social and Work Environments.
The EG members are appointed by the relevant ministry in each country and they are well-established experts in their respective areas. The groups are active in, for example, exchanging information, promoting projects, providing and disseminating new information, and raising issues that they consider important to the political discussion.
