This newsletter was published in January 2026. If you want to receive the latest news from the project straight to your email inbox, you can register here. The monthly newsletter is also available on LinkedIn and you can sign up here to receive it.
With 2026 underway, JA PreventNCD is now entering the second half of the Joint Action, a phase where implementation activity accelerates and an increasing number of practical outputs will be released across countries and work streams. In this edition, we share highlights from the launch of the JA PreventNCD Stakeholder Group, alongside a selection of updates, resources and upcoming events from across the project. We also spotlight how Joint Actions, including JA PreventNCD and JACARDI, are helping support the implementation of the EU Safe Hearts Plan, and share a brief update on the Youth Advisory Group 2026 selection process.
JA PreventNCD kicks off its Stakeholder Group to strengthen collaboration and boost impact
JA PreventNCD held the first meeting of its Stakeholder Group on 22 January 2026, marking an important step in strengthening the project’s ability to deliver relevant, practical outputs that reach beyond the consortium and support prevention work across Europe.
The Stakeholder Group brings together a diverse set of actors from the health sector and beyond to provide guidance, share expertise, and help ensure that project results are widely communicated through professional networks and channels. In the first meeting, participants were introduced to JA PreventNCD’s mission, structure, and prevention priorities, with a focus on key NCD risk factors including tobacco, alcohol, nutrition, and physical activity.
The group is designed to be flexible and topic-driven, allowing JA PreventNCD to connect the right expertise to the right outputs at the right time. Stakeholders will contribute by offering targeted feedback on deliverables, identifying challenges and opportunities linked to prevention, and supporting dissemination by sharing outputs through their networks. As JA PreventNCD enters its later years and outputs increase, this stakeholder engagement will help strengthen both the quality of results and the likelihood that they are used in policy and practice.
Webinar: Shaping Food Environments through Front-of-Pack-Labelling
The team working on Regulation and Taxation (WP5) invites partners and external guests to the webinar “Shaping Healthier Food Environments through Front-of-Pack Labelling” on 10 February 2026, hosted in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Europe. The session will share the latest developments on front-of-pack labelling in Europe and highlight its role as a policy tool to support healthier diets, empower consumers, and encourage healthier product reformulation.
Keynote speakers include Chantal Julia (Sorbonne Paris Nord University), Laura Rossi (National Institute of Health, Italy), and Fabio Da Silva Gomes (Pan American Health Organization, WHO). The webinar will also feature a panel discussion with perspectives from youth, public health, government, and research, including Petrine Johansen (Danish UN Youth Delegate), Alison Tedstone (former Chief Nutritionist, England), Sebastian Hielm (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland), and Marco Silano (National Institute of Health, Italy).
Wellbeing Economy Forum 2026: stay tuned and join us in Reykjavík
The Wellbeing Economy Forum 2026 will take place at Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavík on 16–17 April 2026, and preparations are well underway. As a key event within JA PreventNCD, the Forum creates space for cross-sector dialogue on how we define progress and how policy choices across society can better support health, equity, and sustainability.
Speaker confirmations are now rolling in. We are pleased and honoured to share that Nicola Sturgeon, former First Minister of Scotland, has been confirmed as a speaker, and additional announcements will be added as the programme continues to develop.
To participate, please register via the official event website. You can also sign up to the Forum newsletter to receive the latest updates, including speaker announcements, programme highlights, and practical information for travelling to Iceland.
Webinar Course: Statistical Thinking
The team working on Social Inequalities (WP7) within the JA PreventNCD is delighted to announce the launch of a webinar series on statistical thinking open to all partners of JA PreventNCD. The initiative has been developed in collaboration with professors from the Department of Statistics at Sapienza University of Rome, who will share their expertise.
The course is a follow-up series on the webinar course on Survey and Questionnaire design which was launched October 2025. Link to the webinar series can be found here.
The recording of the first webinar course The Power of Statistical Thinking - Understanding News and Everyday Facts is now available in our resources section.
A Focus on Healthy Living Environments
The team working on Healthy Living Environments (WP6) implements and evaluates interventions that address key determinants of cancer and other NCDs across different settings and through cross-setting actions spanning the life course. The work follows a strong community action approach, supporting co-creation and participation of local stakeholders to build sustainable infrastructures and capacities that promote health equity at local level.
Webinar: The first 1000-day window of opportunity: breastfeeding for a healthy start and a healthy future
The team working on Baby-Friendly Communities and Health Services (T6.5) will host a public webinar on 13 February 2026 (12:00–13:00 CET) focusing on the first 1000 days of life and breastfeeding as a key strategy for NCD prevention and lifelong health for both mothers and children. The session will cover the evidence base, strategies to protect, promote and support breastfeeding across Europe, and policy, marketing, and regulatory aspects related to breast milk substitutes in the European context. Participation is free and open to all.
Infant Feeding in Emergencies: Strengthening Baby-Friendly Communities for Resilience and Preparedness
On 19 December 2025, the team working on Baby-Friendly Communities and Health Services (T6.5) hosted an international online workshop focused on infant and young child feeding in emergencies as a public health priority and a core part of health system resilience. Discussions highlighted that protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding and appropriate infant feeding are life-saving interventions when access to health services, safe water, and adequate food is disrupted, and that early-life feeding practices also influence long-term health and future NCD risk.
Contributions from WHO Regional Office for Europe and Pan American Health Organization underlined the need for structural preparedness policies and the full implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, particularly in emergency contexts. The workshop also shared practical experiences and operational approaches from multiple settings, including climate-related emergencies in the Caribbean, municipal preparedness planning and training in Italy, humanitarian response in Gaza, national preparedness tools following Australia’s bushfires, and digital and AI-enabled solutions supporting continuity of counselling and care in Ukraine. The session reinforced that investing in infant feeding in emergencies should be treated as a long-term, structural component of building resilient and equitable communities.
Read the full article | Watch the recording
Psychiatric hospital in Finland goes smoke-free
Vanha Vaasa Hospital in Finland became the country’s first psychiatric hospital to introduce a smoke-free indoor environment in 2025. The transition was introduced ward-by-ward between April and September and was supported by preparations for a new hospital building and a Parliamentary Ombudsman ruling indicating hospitals do not need to provide separate indoor smoking facilities for patients in involuntary care.
As part of a JA PreventNCD pilot coordinated by Filha, the hospital also developed a tobacco and nicotine cessation model, strengthening support for patients to quit nicotine products through counselling and access to free nicotine replacement therapy for those committed to quitting. Staff emphasised the importance of early preparation, open dialogue, and addressing both patient and staff concerns. The change has contributed to improved indoor air quality and, with outdoor smoking, increased daily movement for patients. The hospital has also observed an increase in nicotine pouch use, reinforcing the need for updated nicotine cessation practices and clearer communication about nicotine-related harms.
New quarterly newsletter from the Healthy Living Environments team
The team working on Healthy Living Environments (WP6) is launching its own quarterly newsletter with more detailed updates on their great work, activities, resources, and upcoming events from the work package.
Joint Actions supporting the EU Safe Hearts Plan: JA PreventNCD and JACARDI
As mentioned in the December newsletter, JA PreventNCD welcomes the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan (the Safe Hearts Plan) and its strong focus on shifting Europe’s response towards prevention across the life course. We highlighted the need for sustained investment and population-level approaches, alongside stronger action on modifiable risk factors, early detection and screening, and reducing inequalities.
In January, the European Commission’s first stakeholder webinar on the Safe Hearts Plan brought together nearly 500 participants and showcased how Joint Actions can help translate EU ambitions into practical, country-level progress. Our sister Joint Action JACARDI shared how its work supports early detection and screening through common tools and protocols and pilot projects designed to reach high-risk populations while embedding equity and sustainability. In parallel, JA PreventNCD contributes through prevention-focused work on major risk factors and health equity, helping strengthen the conditions for lasting cardiovascular health gains across Member States.
Read JA PreventNCD’s press release | Read more in JACARDI’s article
Youth Advisory Group 2026: selection process underway
The selection process for the JA PreventNCD Youth Advisory Group 2026 cohort is progressing. Phase 1 is now concluding, with written applications and video statements being evaluated. Applicants will shortly receive an update on the outcome of Phase 1, and shortlisted candidates will be invited to interviews as part of Phase 2. Information on shortlisted candidates will also be shared with Competent Authorities. More updates will be published on our official website and social media in due course.
Thank you for your continued interest in strengthening NCD prevention and health equity across Europe. As we move further into the second half of the Joint Action, we will be sharing more activities, resources and concrete outputs from across the project. Follow us to keep track of our progress, explore new results as they are released, and help us amplify key messages through your networks.
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