Context

  Health protection is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of democracy and social justice across Europe. It is not merely a policy objective, but a shared societal responsibility requiring sustained political commitment, cross-sectoral cooperation, and innovative rights-based approaches.

 The Council of Europe has consistently placed the right to the protection of health at the centre of its mandate, supported by a strong normative framework, including the European Social Charter, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (Oviedo Convention), alongside complementary instruments such as the Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law.

 However, the realisation of health protection depends not only on legal guarantees, but also on individuals’ ability to effectively exercise their rights in health-related contexts. This includes the capacity to access, understand, appraise, and use health information and services. Achieving this requires action at multiple levels: individual, organisational (health professionals), and systemic (health systems and institutions).

 In this context, health literacy emerges as a critical enabler. It is not merely an individual competence, but a systemic lever for improving health outcomes and strengthening societal well-being. It plays a particularly important role for persons in situations of vulnerability—including older persons, migrants, persons with disabilities, LGBTI individuals, Roma communities, and people experiencing homelessness—empowering them to act as informed rights-holders and active participants in their care.

 Conversely, limited health literacy constitutes a structural barrier that restricts access to health protection, exacerbates inequalities, including gender inequalities, reinforces stigma and discrimination, and generates avoidable costs for health systems. In this sense, low health literacy acts as a “choke point” in the realisation of human rights.

 As reaffirmed at the Council of Europe Conference on the Protection of Health (Strasbourg, 15 October 2025), strengthening health literacy is both a prerequisite for effective health protection and a key driver of democratic resilience, social cohesion, and crisis preparedness.

 Against this backdrop, the High-Level Conference will explore the role of health literacy in enabling the effective exercise of human rights, advancing public health, and reinforcing democratic stability.