The cooperation aims to promote added value by addressing and solving selected issues at the Nordic level to enhance Nordic competence and competitiveness.

This work also serves as a platform for European and global cooperation. The Council's vision is for the Nordic region to become the world's most sustainable and integrated region by 2030.

Health authorities are working to achieve the vision's goals through a range of initiatives related to three strategic priorities:

  • A Green Nordic Region
  • A Competitive Nordic Region
  • A Socially Sustainable Nordic Region

Vision 2030

To follow up on Vision 2030, all sectors within the Council have developed new cooperation programmes for 2025–2030 (norden.org).

Promoting public health, strengthening health preparedness, working preventively, and combating antimicrobial resistance are key elements of the cooperation programme under the Council for Social and Health Policy.

One Health Perspective

In the autumn of 2024, under the Swedish presidency, a ministerial declaration was adopted to combat antimicrobial resistance from the One Health perspective. One Health is an approach for designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation, and research where multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes.

During the Finnish presidency in the spring of 2025, the ministerial declaration Promoting participation of persons with disabilities through inclusive, fair and accessible artificial intelligence (norden.org) was adopted.

Health authorities also participate in the Council for Fisheries, Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Healthy diets, safe food, and sustainable food systems are central themes in this work.

Resilience in crises

The Nordic countries have a long tradition of providing mutual assistance during crises. According to the Nordic Health Preparedness Agreement of 2002 (lovdata.no, in Norwegian), the Nordic countries are obliged, as far as possible, to:

  • provide mutual assistance in a crisis situation
  • inform and consult each other on measures taken in crises situations
  • promote cooperation by removing obstacles in national regulations, etc.
  • collaborate on exchanging experiences and enhancing competence

The agreement facilitates the establishment of collaborative projects, including for exercises, crisis response abroad, pandemic preparedness, nuclear preparedness, and veterinary preparedness.

Declaration on strengthened cooperation

In 2022, the Nordic health ministers adopted a Ministerial Declaration on strengthened Nordic health preparedness (in Norwegian), which, among other things, states that countries should identify obstacles to acute assistance across borders in order to further improve conditions for providing mutual assistance.

Through the presidency of the Council for Fisheries, Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Norway will contribute to the work on sustainable food systems and healthy diets.