The JHU-UPF Public Policy Centre, linked to the Department of Political and Social Sciences of Pompeu Fabra University, is organising the European conference "Rethinking the Eco-Social Determinants of Health Inequities" (ESDHI-EU) in May 2025. It emphasises the need to understand these inequities from a transdisciplinary, intersectoral and transnational perspective.

The conference will take place on May 22 and 23 at Pompeu Fabra University (Ciutadella Campus auditorium). International academics and experts from various scientific and social disciplines related to planetary health will attend. The conference will occur within a context that aligns with the European Union's priorities, reaffirming its commitment to addressing environmental and health challenges in September 2021. This is in accordance with Planetary Health and the priority areas of the EU ProHealth programme, which include the One Health approach.

"Complex societal challenges, such as health inequities, increasingly require comprehensive theoretical, analytical, and policy approaches to develop innovative and practical solutions. Understanding how to integrate diverse viewpoints collaboratively is essential; therefore, we propose holding a conference with a transdisciplinary and intersectoral approach." States Joan Benach, codirector of the JHU-UPF Public Policy Centre, professor in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at UPF and a member of the organising committee for the meeting, alongside Joana Morrison, Mariana Gutiérrez-Zamora, Natalia Tumas, Ornella Moreno-Mattar, Eliana Martínez Herrera, Ángela Londoño López, Marya Bautista, and others from the centre.

Joan Benach: "Complex societal challenges, such as health inequities, increasingly require comprehensive theoretical, analytical, and policy approaches to develop innovative and practical solutions. Understanding how to integrate diverse viewpoints collaboratively is essential"

Some examples of the ecosocial challenges facing the planet

A clear example of the complex eco-social challenges the Planet currently faces can be found in intensive pig farming in Catalonia, which large multinational companies currently dominate. The vast quantities of animal feed required for the 1.79 million tonnes of pork reared annually, of which 51.4% are exported, primarily to China, amount to approximately 5 million tonnes of soya each year. This agri-industry has caused over 40% of the water sources in the area to be polluted by nitrates, resulting from the excessive dumping of sludge (nearly 90,000 metric tons of organic nitrogen from livestock per year). The concentrations are as high as 10 times the World Health Organization (WHO) limit.

To meet its animal feed needs, Catalonia imports genetically modified soya (banned from being grown in the European Union) from Brazil because it is cheaper than other types of fodder. Consequently, this contributes to the deforestation of several million hectares of tropical savannah in the Brazilian Cerrado. The soya monoculture causes displacement and serious human rights violations of rural and indigenous communities, and generates six times more CO₂ emissions per tonne than Brazil's annual average, according to an interactive published by ARA.

Such high-volume agricultural production rates contrast sharply with predictions that 4.4 million people—nearly a quarter of the population—could face crisis levels of food insecurity in Somalia this year, with an alarming 479,000 infants expected to be severely malnourished by December, according Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The main factors responsible for the concurrent crises affecting Somalia are recurrent climate shocks, drought, protracted conflict and insecurity, disease outbreaks and widespread poverty, as explained in this United Nations report.

Joan Benach emphasises that: "By promoting collaborative efforts between different issues and stakeholders, integrating scientific disciplines, community knowledge, and cooperation between organisations and countries, it is possible to generate broader, more critical, and deeper knowledge. This will facilitate the design of effective interventions to improve the health and wellbeing of the whole population, precisely the aim of the congress we have organised".

Promoting knowledge sharing and transnational networking

The ESDHI-EU Conference, a project co-funded by the European Union within the framework of the EU4H-2023-PJ action (grant agreement N° 101161285), has been established to foster knowledge exchange between a wide range of actors and to lay the foundations for a transnational network to address health inequities from a transdisciplinary and intersectoral perspective, promoting critical thinking and a commitment to social justice.

The conference will be divided into three parts on the first day: the 22nd of May. First, four keynote presentations at the ESDHI-EU 2025 Conference lay the groundwork for a transdisciplinary, critical and feminist approach, fostering a holistic and integrated view of the eco-social determinants (economic, cultural, political, and ecological) that influence health inequities in the context of eco-social transitions. The aim is for these conferences to constitute a fundamental framework for fostering an integrated understanding of ESDHI, which will enrich discussions in the subsequent panels and workshops.

The four lectures will be given by Joan Benach (JHU-UPF Public Policy Center and Department of Political and Social Sciences of the UPF), Wendy Hartcore (International Institute of Social Studies of the University of Rotterdam), Nicoletta Dentico (Society for International Development and Geneva Global Health Hub) and Jason Hickel (Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the UAB). Second, an international panel will discuss the most appropriate cross-cutting strategies to address health inequities by implementing intersectoral policies. Third, a presentation will describe the framework, objectives and expected outcomes of the congress workshops scheduled for the following day. This presentation will enable the attendees to participate more effectively in the workshops.

On the second day (23 May), the ESDHI-EU workshops will address four central thematic axes that reflect many of the complex systemic challenges of our time. A dozen workshops are scheduled, three in each of the four main areas, as follows: 1) The Ecosocial crisis: planetary boundaries, food systems and energy crisis; 2) Democracy, social inclusion and participation: work and employment, social movements and migration; 3) Geopolitics: transnational corporations and national policies, extreme right wing and neofascism, and war and conflict; and 4) Just and sustainable cities: the right to housing, commercial determinants of healthy places, and cities and technology. Finally, the concluding reflections section provides a comprehensive summary of the event's highlights, reviewing the key insights, challenges and recommendations for action from the conference, along with the launch of the ESDHI network.

ESDHI-EU conference agenda

Expected results and future directions

The ESDHI-EU Conference will provide a unique platform to discuss these overarching challenges of global health inequities and generate recommendations on the most effective policies and interventions to address them. To this end, a detailed summary of the discussions, key contributions, recommendations, and a sustainable long-term plan will be formulated.

In addition, a network will be established to foster ongoing transdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration between universities, government administrations, nongovernmental organisations, voluntary citizen groups, interest groups, professionals, and other relevant actors engaged in ESDHI.

ESDHI-EU Conference will provide a unique platform to discuss these overarching challenges of global health inequities and generate recommendations on the most effective policies and interventions to address them

The ESDHI Network will ensure long-term impact by promoting continued engagement and widespread dissemination of knowledge, using the extensive video material and publications that reflect the foundations for implementing effective action to increase health equity. The organisation calls on people to join the ESDHI-EU Conference to be part of this critical dialogue, collaborate on transformative solutions and contribute to addressing health inequities from a transdisciplinary and intersectoral lens.

This conference is part of the "Planetary Health in 50 Days" initiative organised by the JHU-UPF Public Policy Centre. It features three significant events hosted at Pompeu Fabra University over several weeks from May to July. The ESDHI-EU 2025 conference will take place on the 22nd and 23rd of May, followed by the 2nd International Congress of Ecological Humanities on the 30th of June and 1st of July. Additionally, there will be a workshop on green transitions and postgrowth futures, along with a Conference on Green Colonialism & Green Sacrifice from the 2nd to the 4th of July.