Health Literacy: Strengthening the relationship between institutions and people
Side event to the High-Level Conference on Social Rights
18 March 2026 | 11:30 - 13:00 EET
Palace of the Republic: Library Biblioteca "Onisifor Ghibu", Nicolae Iorga 21 A str., Chișinău, Republic of Moldova

Objective
Health literacy was identified as a priority for action during the 2025 Council of Europe Conference on Health Protection. Health literacy is the ability of individuals to find, understand, and use health information, stands at the heart of equitable, resilient, and rights-based health systems.
Yet, almost half of European populations have limited health literacy. It is estimated that low health literacy costs economies between 3-5% of the total annual healthcare budget amounting to billions of Euros in many member states of the Council of Europe.
In line with commitments under the European Social Charter and the Oviedo Convention, the Council of Europe aims to support member states in scaling-up equitable access to health information and services. This strengthens the link between political decision-making and people, through the engagement of institutions, with particular attention to the health of individuals and groups in situations of vulnerability.
Related documents
- Guide to health literacy
- Report - Promoting health literacy and human rights to reduce stigma and discrimination |2026 | by Kristine Sørensen, Global Health Literacy Academy
- Report - Health literacy is a human rights concern | 2024 |by Kristine Sørensen, Global Health Literacy Academy
- Health literacy dedicated webpage
Agenda
11:30 - 11:50 Opening
- Emil CEBAN, Minister of Health, Moldova
- Eugenia ROCCELLA, Minister for Family, Natality and Equal Opportunities, Italy (video message)
- Rafael BENITEZ, Director of Social Rights, Health and Environment, Council of Europe
11:50 - 12:10 Introductory remarks
- Tatiana PUIU, Vice-President, European Committee on Social Rights
12:10 - 12:50 Health literacy as a human rights imperative – finding, understanding and acting on health information and services to protect health
- Kristine SØRENSEN, Global Health Literacy Academy, Denmark
- Open discussion
12:50 - 13:00 Developing and Supporting Government-Led Health Literacy Pathways in Council of Europe Member States
- Tigran KARAPETYAN, Head of Division, Transversal Challenges and Multilateral Projects Council of Europe
13:00 Close
Photos
Speakers