The Lancet Commission on global health threats in the 21st century identifies 17 major threats by 2100. Among them, three directly relate to health promotion: obesity associated with a lower quality diet and insufficient physical activity; low education levels; and income inequalities. According to the Commission's estimates, these areas are among the main levers for reducing the health burden by 2100.
Health promotion provides solutions by addressing the social, economic, and educational conditions that enable everyone to live healthily. Improving health cannot be limited to care or individual advice: it is also necessary to create supportive environments and strengthen the capacity for action of individuals and communities.
For the UNESCO Chair in "Education & Health", the challenge is to promote access to quality food and develop environments conducive to physical activity, reduce sedentary behaviour, support lifelong education, and combat inequalities. This ambition relies on mobilising public policies and local actors, as well as the participation of populations, to strengthen their power to act without blaming them.
Source:
Murray, C. J. L., Kanem, N., Abed, S., Abubakar, I., Adetifa, I. M., Aguilera, X. P., et al. (2026). The Lancet Commission on 21st century global threats to health. The Lancet. Early online publication on 11 October 2026.