# Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being

The Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS) is an international networking platform for strengthening professional connections, sharing and co-creating knowledge, and developing joint activities in public health and social well-being. The Partnership is served by the NDPHS Secretariat that was established in 2012 as an international legal entity hosted by the Swedish Government located in Stockholm and funded jointly by the Partner Countries.

## History

The cooperation network arose out of the Northern Dimension Forum on Social Protection and Health held in the city of Joensuu, Finland, in 2002. The NDPHS was formally established at a ministerial-level meeting in Oslo, Norway on 27 October 2003. Today the Partnership constitutes "an umbrella for activities on the regional, subregional and local levels, serving as a forum for coordination and synergies among the various actors.

## Objectives

According to the founding document the main goal of the NDPHS is "to promote sustainable development in the Northern Dimension area through improving human health and social wellbeing." In doing so, reducing the spread of major communicable diseases and preventing life-style related non-communicable diseases as well as enhancing peoples’ levels of social well-being and promoting socially rewarding lifestyles are further tasks of the NDPHS. All in all, as stated in the Oslo Declaration, "the activities (…) should contribute to greater political and administrative coherence in the area, narrowing of social and economic differences, and to a general improvement of the quality of life and of the demographic situation."

## Structure

The highest decision-making body of the NDPHS is the Partnership Annual Conference (PAC), a high-level ministerial dialogue that formulates the overall policy orientation of the Partnership. The operational decision-making body is the Committee of Senior Representatives (CSR) which is composed of senior representatives appointed by each Partner and chaired by a senior representative of the Partnership. The CSR reports to the PAC, ensuring fulfillment of decisions and recommendations of the PAC. The chairmanship rotates among the Partners every two years. In 2024-2025 the Partnership is chaired by Lithuania and co-chaired by Norway. The major practical work e.g. the implementation of the NDPHS Strategy and its accompanying Action Plan, including elaboration and implementation of concrete projects is then done in the Expert Groups (EG) and with projects' partner organizations.
The NDPHS Secretariat provides comprehensive support to the Partnership and implements its own activities and projects that support the mission of the Partnership. The Secretariat is the main contact point and institutional memory of the Partnership.
The Partnership’s work is built around ten thematic areas. Seven of them are led by the Expert Groups specialised in different public health topics. The remaining three are cross-cutting – they are themes that touch upon the work of all the structures and are jointly implemented by everyone in the Partnership.
Thematic areas:
* Antimicrobial Resistance (EG AMR)
* Alcohol and Substance Use (EG ASA)
* HIV, Tuberculosis, and Associated Infections (EG HIV, TB&AI)
* Non-communicable Diseases (EG NCD)
* Occupational Safety and Health (EG OSH)
* Primary Healthcare (EG PHC)
* Prison Health (EG PH)
Cross-cutting thematic areas
* Active and Healthy Ageing
* Economy of Well-being
* Health in All Policies.

## Activities

The Partnership engages in a number of activities, including policy and expertise exchange, project development and implementation, information production and dissemination, and advocacy. The Partnership also works toward raising awareness of the tremendous impact that the health of populations has on the economic prosperity of the countries. Another priority is helping to convey relevant results and recommendations from ongoing and completed projects to the policy level.
The Partnership is the Policy Area Coordinator for "Health" (PA Health) in the European Union Strategy of the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR). PA Health focuses on improving and promoting the health - including its social aspects - of people in the Baltic Sea region as an important precondition for ensuring sustainable, prosperous, and healthy societies. By providing a platform for exchange and cooperation across borders and between different sectors, it enables sharing of best practices, identifying common challenges and goals, and developing of joint solutions.

## Members

Partner countries:
* Estonia
* Finland
* Germany
* Iceland
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Norway
* Poland
* Sweden
* Russia (suspended in 2022)
Partner organizations:
* European Commission
* Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation (BSSSC)
* Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC)
* Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)
* International Labour Organization (ILO)
* International Organisation for Migration (IOM)
* Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM)
* Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
* World Health Organization (WHO)