Opening speech by Rafael Benitez, Director of Social Rights, Health and Environment
Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Health protection is both a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of democracy and social justice. It is a shared responsibility that requires sustained political will, cross-sectoral cooperation, and innovative, human rights-based solutions. These were among the key conclusions of the Council of Europe Conference on Health Protection, held in Strasbourg on 15 October 2025.
Health protection rests on a robust body of long-standing legal standards that underpin the commitments of Council of Europe member States, notably through:
- Ensuring access to life-saving care under the European Convention on Human Rights;
- Removing the causes of ill-health under the European Social Charter;
- Safeguarding patients’ dignity, integrity and autonomy, including those in vulnerable situations,[1] under the Oviedo Convention;
- Protecting the quality and safety of medicines under the Convention on the European Pharmacopeia;
- Combating the counterfeiting of medical products under the MEDICRIME Convention;
- Protecting the health of women and girls who have suffered violence and abuse under the Istanbul Convention.
The effective protection of health for all depends on translating these commitments into concrete action.
Health literacy is a decisive factor in ensuring effective health protection. As defined in the Council of Europe Guide to Health Literacy, it refers to people’s knowledge, motivation and competences to access, understand, appraise and apply health information in order to make informed judgments and decisions in everyday life regarding healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion, for themselves and for those around them.
By actively listening to people and empowering them in matters concerning their health, illness can be prevented or mitigated, hospitalisation rates can be reduced, and adherence to treatment can be improved.
Health literacy helps to reduce medication errors that lead to avoidable hospital admissions and longer hospital stays. It can decrease the use of emergency services for non-urgent conditions, which often congest emergency departments, the most expensive point of care. It also reduces missed appointments and unnecessary repeat visits by enabling patients to better prepare for medical consultations, ask critical questions, and understand discharge instructions.
Yet health literacy remains a major global challenge. In Europe, 47% of the population has limited health literacy. People with low health literacy often struggle to know where and when to seek appropriate care, are less likely to engage in preventive measures, face difficulties in managing their health, and experience higher mortality rates.
At the same time, health systems are becoming increasingly complex. Digitalisation, new technologies and diverse care settings require individuals to critically assess information, understand their rights and options, and actively participate in decisions affecting their health.
The opportunity costs of not investing in health literacy are substantial. Low health literacy is estimated to cost economies between 3% and 5% of total annual healthcare expenditure.
Strengthening health literacy efforts is therefore imperative. Moving from theory to practice, from commitments to action, is essential.
This can be achieved, inter alia, by:
- Raising public awareness of health information and services, with targeted outreach to people in vulnerable situations;
- Reconnecting individuals who are disengaged from healthcare systems or whose perceptions have been distorted by disinformation, by promoting trustworthy and accessible health information and improving understanding of health risks;
- Providing patients with clear, accessible and evidence-based scientific and clinical information;
- Promoting respect for people and patients from diverse backgrounds by strengthening the cultural competence of health professionals, both within and beyond healthcare settings;
- Coordinating health strategies, including health literacy strategies, at all levels of governance - local, regional and national - so that the health needs of individuals and communities are better targeted and addressed.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Safeguarding health is both a human rights obligation and a strategic investment in Europe’s democratic future. Protecting health requires equipping individuals with the skills, confidence and understanding necessary to engage meaningfully with health information, distinguish reliable sources from mis- and disinformation, and make informed decisions about their care.
Promoting health literacy is essential for the protection of individual and public health. Beyond the health sector, it strengthens personal autonomy and empowerment, thereby contributing to trust in institutions and the resilience of our democratic societies.
Health literacy was identified as a priority area for action at the Council of Europe Conference on Health Protection held on 15 October 2025. We remain firmly committed to continuing our work and supporting member States in their efforts in this field.
Building on the successful conferences on health literacy and human rights held in Rome in 2023 and 2024, today’s conference provides an opportunity to develop initiatives that respond to the needs of diverse populations and support a patient-centred, rights-based approach to healthcare.
Together, we can forge health literacy pathways grounded in human rights, bringing together political, institutional and civil society actors to promote equity and inclusion in health. Through coordinated efforts across sectors and levels of governance, dialogue and knowledge-sharing can strengthen the trustworthiness of our institutions and bring people and institutions closer together.
Dear Ministers,
We thank you for your country's commitment and continued support in this field, particularly in trust-building, equitable access to healthcare, and the translation of policy into practice to promote inclusion and combat discrimination.
We are also grateful to UNAR, and in particular to its Director General, Mr Mattia Peradotto, for his leadership and commitment in advancing this work, and to Ms Assunta Morresi, a longstanding member and Head of the Italian delegation to the Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO), for her vision and steadfast commitment to human rights and health protection.
I wish you fruitful discussions, a successful conference, and continued collaboration in this vital field.