PLOS Global Public Health
People with lived experience of chronic conditions are key epistemic authorities in global health
Article
10 Oct 2025
WHO Regional Office for Europe
20 Nov 2024
Social participation is increasingly acknowledged as essential to making health policies that respond to people’s experiences, expectations and needs, and as a key driver of equitable, inclusive and responsive health systems. This policy brief offers insights into how to institutionalize social participation in health policy. It shares seven key principles for institutionalization, along with case studies from five countries in the WHO European Region to inspire health policy-makers and government officials working in different contexts to embed social participation at all levels of the health system. It also outlines a framework for monitoring and evaluation to support countries in addressing common challenges and accelerating progress towards a culture of social participation.