Meaningful social participation in health policy is key to building resilient systems that address the challenges of non-communicable disease, including dementia. On 12 December, Alzheimer Europe attended a virtual event titled “Institutionalizing Social Participation: Shaping a More NCD and Mental Health-Resilient WHO European Region”, organized by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. The event aimed to facilitate discussions and exchanges between policymakers and civil society organizations on the topic of meaningful involvement throughout the policy cycle. The meeting featured presentations and panel discussions with leading experts in the field, including Jonathan Tritter (Aston University, UK), Ainuru Altybaeva (Forum of Women, Kyrgyzstan), Abdulkarim Harakow (UN Youth Delegate, Denmark), Anca Toma (European Patients’ Forum), and Vesna Kerstin Petrič (Ministry of Health, Slovenia).
The panelists highlighted the importance of ensuring adequate representation of patient organizations in policy-making processes and outlined practical steps to achieve meaningful involvement. These steps include recognizing the value of social participation, ensuring diversity among stakeholders, and fostering the sustainability of representation mechanisms. The event was framed by a resolution from the 2024 World Health Assembly, which seeks to strengthen and sustain meaningful social participation in health-related decision-making processes. Complementing this effort, the WHO has published a comprehensive report detailing practical approaches to integrate and institutionalize social participation within these processes. The report can be accessed here: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/379583