Kosovo faces growing public health, inequality, economic and environmental challenges. which This requires targeted investments to ensure sustainable development and prosperity for present and future generations. Through its the National Development, Kosovo can have a major impact on all factors influencing the health and wellbeing of citizens – on the way they live and on their everyday choices.

Under the leadership of WHO, the UN Kosovo Team has brought together various Ministries (of Health, Education Science and Technology, Culture Youth and Sports, Environment, Labour and Social Welfare and Finance), development partners and civil society representatives for a participatory dialogue on the role of health in inclusive and sustainable development. The event, held on 5 December in Pristina, identified key assets, current challenges and solutions to strengthen joint action on early childhood development, environment and health, and investment for health- and wellbeing.

Targeted measures to improve early childhood development, such as strengthening pre-school education and health promotion in pre-school and school environments, along with targeted and general investments in within health, education, employment, and social protection across throughout the life course play central roles not just only for the child health and development, but for everyone’s well-being. They also yield high returns on investment by raising economic productivity.

By collaborating more closely across sectors and enforcing environmental legislation, will make sustainable and clean energy choices more affordable. Further on by engaging citizens through awareness raising and advocacy, Kosovo will be able to tackle the health, environmental and economic costs of unsustainable practices.

The increase in Kosovo’s health budget for 2018 provides momentum to strengthen health promotion and prevention, while raising the quality of care. Kosovo’s Anti-Corruption Strategy and is working towards a national health insurance fund, which will also play critical roles in freeing up fiscal space for investment in health, reducing poverty, and will gradually move Kosovo closer to attaining universal health coverage.

The participants demonstrated a common understanding of the issues the bi-directional relationship between health and inclusive and sustainable economies. WHO and the UN Kosovo Team are looking forward to working together with Kosovo’s institutions and the communities in a participatory way to develop concrete activities for better health and well-being, sustainable inclusive economic growth, and security and peace.