In its resolution adopted Wednesday, the government aims to promote wellbeing, health and safety.
The government has decided on the long-term measures for reducing inequalities in wellbeing, health and safety by 2030. The aim is to guarantee sustainable wellbeing for people at all stages of their lives.
The government noted that Finland is, by many standards, one of the leading countries in the world for wellbeing and safety.
The government: “Despite this, our society still shows signs of growing inequality. The positive trend in public health has stopped, depression among working-age people have become more common and the average life expectancy among Finns has even fallen slightly. In addition, social disadvantage seems to accumulate unevenly and our society is showing alarming signs of the intergenerational cycle of social disadvantage. There are also significant disparities in people’s wellbeing and health throughout Finland.”
The resolution on promoting wellbeing, health and safety include four priority areas: Opportunity for all to get involved; good everyday environments; measures and services promoting wellbeing and health; and decision-making generates effectiveness.
The government noted that there are no easy solutions to problems related to wellbeing, health, safety and inequality. Social disadvantage and its causes must be addressed in all population and age groups. What is needed, according to the government, “is money, structural changes and both big and small everyday actions.”
The government’s preparatory work on the resolution began well before the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, but the pandemic and the resulting emergency conditions have further highlighted the need to take determined long-term measures to reduce inequality. The government’s decision on these measures aims to support people’s daily lives in potential future crises, and It also aims to help society return to normal everyday life after the pandemic.
Fulfillment of the objectives set out in the resolution would mean that people feel well and happy. They can, according to the government, “study and work, they have a good functional capacity, and they feel that they can have a say about matters affecting themselves. To achieve all this, it is necessary to adopt measures in all branches of government. Measures are also needed from civil society, businesses and research institutes, for example.”
