ABSTRACT
The single major cause of poor global health is poverty, underscored by social injustice and disempowerment. Poor health is a symptom of an inequitable society and this is why it is important to persevere integrating the social determinants into health promotion as a step toward dealing with the “causes of the causes”. We are also faced with an enormous backlog of prevention, care, and treatment, a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic. This has been the worst health crisis for more than a century, impacting the lives, health, and well-being of billions of people worldwide. Other emerging priorities in a complex world include planetary health, digital transformation, universal health coverage, health literacy, and the commercial determinants of health. However, there are also a number of unresolved health promotion priorities including the transition from health education and individual responsibility to national health promotion models and building professional cultural competence.
