9.5.5. Future developments

“Gender” needs to be operated as a top priority strategy as it needs to be explicitly integrated into all “social” and “economic” development for the improvement of the health of European populations. Social and economic inclusion of all European populations requires that the sources and risks of all diverse groups are recognized. It is adamant that gender equality and the empowerment of women are recognized as one top health priority to try to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Particularly relevant for future developments are:

·          the Council Conclusions of 16.12.2005 on the implementation in the Member States of the Beijing Platform for Action; and

·          the Council Conclusions of 2.6.2006 on gender equality and women’s health.

Policy focus on improving men's health is still limited, although it is increasing among national governments in Europe and at European Commission level. Among the reasons that hinder a wider recognition of this issue there is the limited availability of research material notably regarding the impact of men and boys’ poor health status in terms of healthcare resources and national economic competitiveness as well as on key factors to men’s health improvement and evidence of successful targeted interventions.