The ‘Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion’ (1986) remains a benchmark for the global health promotion community, but the context for health promotion has changed with increasing recognition of the significance of inequalities in health. Health promotion is a key strategy to deal with the social determinants of health that create these inequities. Attention has shifted from the mere recognition that all public policies may impact on health to active strategies and actions to move health concerns into all policies. Clinicians are key actors in shaping social and cultural priorities and beliefs: they should be committed to the reduction of health inequity, with health promotion as a core commitment and responsibility.