Our Principles

International health promotion principles

As a health promotion agency, Sexual Health Victoria's work is underpinned by the health promotion principles established and/or reiterated in a number of landmark international statements, including the:

• Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986)
• Jakarta Declaration on Leading Health Promotion into the 21st Century (1996)
• Cairo Declaration on Population and Development (1994)
• Fourth World Conference on Women Beijing Declaration (1995)
• Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a Globalized World (2005)
• Nairobi Call to Action (2009)

The most recent, the Nairobi Call to Action (2009), describes the value that health promotion adds as a core element of global, regional, national and local health development. It reinforces the first commitment of the Bangkok Charter and calls for five urgent actions:

• Strengthen leadership and workforces
• Mainstream health promotion
• Empower communities and individuals
• Enhance participatory processes
• Build and apply knowledge

These actions are reflected in the key priority areas and objectives of our 2023 - 2028 Strategic Plan.