Action on the social determinants of health (SDH) is an emerging and exciting area of public health. To support this development, WHO has created Action:SDH, an electronic Discussion Platform, which aims to foster discussion and debate and to provide a clearing house to share experiences of actions aimed at improving health equity through addressing the social determinants of health. In so doing, WHO joins forces with a range of other organizations and networks around the world that are also committed to this agenda.
The platform aims to attract members from across government and society. The platform convenes and supports its members in sharing experiences - both challenges and opportunities - for action on the social determinants of health, as well as providing a repository for innovative practices, examples and tools. The platform provides a Members Forum, where members can initiate and respond to discussion topics. These discussions will be summarized periodically to draw out lessons on key barriers and facilitators to action. The platform also provides Closed-door Forums, which can be used by any of the members to hold restricted discussions and debates.
The platform launch takes place in Rio, Brazil, at the World Conference on Social Determinants of Health (WCSDH). In follow-up to this conference, WHO looks forward to developing strong partnerships with key institutions, including WHO Collaborating Centres, to build the information content of the platform, together with its members, and to facilitate strong discussion and debate.