40 Years of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion: New Challenges

Josep Irla Auditorium. Government of Catalonia. Girona.
22 October 2026

The event commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, published in 1986, will take place on 22 October 2026 at the Josep Irla Auditorium in Girona. It is organized by the Chair of Health Promotion at the University of Girona, with the support of Dipsalut, the autonomous public health body of the Girona Provincial Council, and the Girona Knowledge Region Foundation, in collaboration with the Government of Catalonia in Girona.

Under the theme “40 Years of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion: New Challenges,” the event aims to reflect on the forty-year history of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, present good practices related to the Charter’s action areas, and identify the challenges facing health promotion today. The event is also intended as a meeting point for professionals, local councils, and organizations from different fields to exchange good practices and create synergies.

The event program will be structured around an opening lecture and three thematic round tables focused on the action areas described in the Ottawa Charter: building healthy public policy, creating health-promoting environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills, and reorienting health services. To facilitate the exchange of good practices, spaces have been planned for presentations of scientific papers and electronic posters. Finally, to identify the current challenges facing health promotion, the dialogue session “The Challenges of Health Promotion Today. Where Are We Going?” will take place between experts and attendees and will close the program.