A growing body of evidence shows that cultural participation holds promise as an effective, low-cost, low-risk therapeutic and preventative measure across a range of physical and mental health conditions.

To explore this area of work further, the WHO jointly organized a political symposium which took place on 22 March 2019 at UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark. The symposium examined the leading role of the Nordic countries in this area and explored how the visibility and uptake of arts and health interventions at a policy level might be improved. Their aim was to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and best practices, explore areas of collaboration, and inspire innovative thinking on the future of arts and health in the WHO European Region