Wales will become the world’s first ‘Marmot Nation’ as part of the Welsh Government’s ongoing work to tackle health inequalities.

The move involves adopting public health expert Sir Michael Marmot’s eight principles, which aim to eliminate unfair and avoidable differences in health which can be caused by where people live, what kind of job they do and how they are treated in society.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremy Miles has agreed the Welsh Government will work with the Institute of Health Equity (IHE), which is led by Professor Sir Michael Marmot, and put health equity at the heart of policy and decision-making across the Welsh Government.

The commitment builds on Wales’ Well-being of Future Generations Act, which places a legal duty on public bodies to improve social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being and consider the long-term impact of their decisions.

The Act recently celebrated its tenth anniversary.

The work will focus on adopting the eight Marmot Principles to: Give every child the best start in life; enable all children, young people, and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives; create fair employment and good work for all; ensure a healthy standard of living for all; create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities; strengthen the role and impact of ill health prevention; tackle racism, discrimination, and their outcomes; and pursue environmental sustainability and health equity together.

The Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Sarah Murphy, said: “Becoming a Marmot Nation is about acknowledging that health inequalities are mostly shaped by the social determinants of health – the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.

“By adopting these eight Marmot principles nationally, we will be taking action across government to support better health and wellbeing for all.”