The authors seek to demonstrate that the 1986 Ottawa Charter has not been sufficiently recognized over the past 20 years—even by those who cite it—as a strategic tool for guiding interventions aimed at reducing social inequalities in health. Indeed, while certain public health policies emphasize the reduction of social inequalities in health, only the Ottawa Charter, in our view, possesses the status of an international declaration to that effect. Social inequalities in health are the systematic, preventable, and unjust health disparities that persist between individuals and subgroups of the population. Four examples from the field of health promotion serve to show that neglecting to address social health inequalities is not the exclusive domain of those who claim to be public health advocates. However, acting against social health inequalities is not the same as intervening against poverty. Furthermore, intervening based on the principle of equal opportunity, the ideology of meritocracy, or solely in favor of the general population without addressing subgroups has the effect, at best, of merely reproducing inequalities. Although the evidence is insufficient, there are studies showing that reducing social inequalities in health is not an impossibility. Three explanations are put forward to account for this sidelining of social inequalities in health by health promotion stakeholders. The Ottawa Charter deserves credit for emphasizing the fight against social inequalities in health. Now, beyond declarations and the strategic framework provided by the Charter, and in accordance with the Bangkok Charter, we must demonstrate proactive commitment. We suggest several priorities for the future, for which the responsibility for advocacy should fall to the IPUHS. [author’s abstract]