Implementing the global framework on well-being at country level: Policy pathways

The world is at a critical juncture. It faces an unprecedented convergence of crises – including climate change, widening inequalities, and persistent public health challenges – that threaten the well-being of people and the planet. As the United Nations Secretary-General has warned, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer a roadmap to navigate these challenges, but failure to act puts humanity at risk.
In response, the global health community is embracing a transformative vision: well-being societies – societies that prioritize human and planetary health, equity, and sustainability over narrow economic growth metrics. This vision calls for breaking down silos and adopting a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach to policy-making.
Implementing the global framework on well-being at country level: policy pathways offers practical insights for ministries of health to support this transition. It adapts the WHO Achieving well-being: a global framework for integrating well-being into public health utilizing a health promotion approach into concrete, actionable strategies that help governments shape policies to enhance well-being.
The document highlights five key policy pathways, providing ministries of health with strategic directions to champion change:
•Nurturing Planet Earth and its ecosystems: Building climate-resilient health systems and policies that protect both human and environmental health.
•Social protection and welfare systems: Designing equitable systems that guarantee access to essential services, prevent poverty, and promote social inclusion.
•Equitable universal health coverage: Strengthening health systems through a primary health care approach, integrating public health, social care, and preventive services.
•Equitable economies: Advocating for economic policies that serve human development, ensuring sustainable trade, reducing inequalities, and aligning commerce with well-being goals.
•Equitable digital systems: Ensuring universal access to digital health tools and services while addressing digital inclusion, literacy, and ethical artificial intelligence (AI) governance in health care.
Shifting toward well-being societies demands a new way of measuring progress – one that moves beyond gross domestic product and prioritizes health, inclusion and sustainability. Ministries of health have a critical leadership role in driving this transformation, not only as policy-makers but also as advocates, collaborators and community engagers.
This document is a call to action: With global inequalities widening and environmental challenges escalating, urgent action is needed. By embracing these policy pathways, ministries of health can lead the way in creating a healthier, more just and sustainable world for future generations.