Sessio: The age-friendly journey of the Nordic region: Progress and future directions

The Nordic region, home to almost 28 million people, spans from dense urban centers to rural and Arctic areas. The first Nordic city, Oslo, joined the WHO Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities in 2014, marking the start of the age-friendly journey of the Nordic region. In 2026, the Nordic Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities has existed for almost 10 years, facilitating support, exchange and collaboration across the region. The Nordic network functions on a mandate from the Nordic Council of Ministers, anchoring the work in age-friendly communities at local level in the vision 2030 of the Nordic Council of Ministers highlighting an integrated and socially sustainable region.

This session will present and discuss different approaches and ways of organising age-friendly communities from the journey of the Nordic region so far and discuss the next steps for strengthening sustainable development for the region to become even more age-friendly for all generations, including perspectives from the Baltic region.