Registration is now open for the uOttawa Centre for Health Law Policy and Ethics’ annual conference, entitled “Health Promotion, Equity and Rights: The Ottawa Charter at 40,” which is taking place on October 20 and 21, 2026, at the University of Ottawa.
Held on the 40th anniversary of the 1986 International Conference on Health Promotion in Ottawa, the interdisciplinary conference will bring together experts in global and public health law, policy, history and practice. Participants will examine the evolution and impact of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, as well as its continuing relevance in a rapidly changing world.
The Ottawa Charter marked a significant shift in thinking about health. Rather than focusing solely on health services or individual behaviour, it framed health as a resource for everyday life and identified five key areas for action: building healthy public policies, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills, and reorienting health services.
That vision has helped shape a global health promotion movement over the past four decades, including a series of 10 World Health Organization conferences on health promotion. The anniversary conference will look both backward and forward, exploring the Charter’s enduring lessons about the conditions that enable people to take greater control over their health.
The two-day program will feature an interdisciplinary group of social scientists, public health researchers, legal scholars and policymakers from across levels of government. Keynote speakers include Evelyne de Leeuw, University of Montreal, and Joss Reimer, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada.
With dialogue spanning disciplines and perspectives, the conference will provide an opportunity to reflect on the Charter’s legacy while considering where health promotion goes next.
WHAT: Health Promotion, Equity and Rights: The Ottawa Charter at 40
WHEN: October 20–21, 2026
WHERE: University of Ottawa, Desmarais Building, Room 4101
The majority of the conference panels will be in English, with live translated captions available in both English and French. Zoom participation is also available upon request for attendees outside Ottawa.