Winners of the Alliance for Healthy Cities award include Montevideo, Uruguay, for food policy; Mexico City, Mexico for road safety; Vancouver, Canada for surveillance; Athens, Greece for overdose prevention and Bengaluru, India for tobacco control.
The first Summit of its kind was convened in London by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the World Health Organization, Vital Strategies and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Today at the inauguration Association for Healthy Cities Summit in London, five global cities were recognized for their achievements in preventing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries. The Summit brought together mayors and officials from more than 50 major cities in the association to discuss pressing public health issues and best practices that save lives and create healthier cities.
With the majority of the world’s population now living in urban settings, it is crucial to ensure the health and well-being of residents in our world’s urban centers. ENT – including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases – and injuries They are responsible for more than 80% of all deaths globally. Cities are in a unique position to transform the fight against NCDs and injuries by implementing policies to significantly reduce exposure to risk factors. The Summit highlights best practices and proven interventions, which is especially important as public health risks falling out of focus three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Noncommunicable diseases and injuries pose the number one threat to global public health. Mayors around the world are coming together more and more to confront it, and the Partnership for Healthy Cities will continue to support their urgent and life-saving work,” sassist Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, 108th Mayor of New York City, and WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries. “Our network’s first Summit showcased the best of local public health leadership, and given the gains made by our inaugural award winners, we hope even more leaders will follow in their footsteps as they create healthier, more vibrant cities.”
“The five cities recognized today demonstrate that mayors can drive great progress to protect the health of their citizens.” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “WHO remains committed to working through the Partnership for Healthy Cities to help mayors around the world build cities that promote and protect health, rather than harm it.”
Founded in 2017, the Partnership for Healthy Cities is a prestigious global network of 70 cities working together to prevent NCDs and injuries. The association’s mayors were invited to join and pledged to address an urgent public health issue in their city. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies in association with the WHO and Vital Strategies, this initiative enables cities around the world to deliver a high-impact policy or programmatic intervention to reduce NCDs and injuries in their communities. Through the Partnership for Healthy Cities, local leaders around the world have enacted policies that improve the health and safety of millions of people.
During the Summit, five member cities were recognized with a 2023 Partnership for Healthy Cities Award for positively impacting the health of their population and making long-lasting, sustainable progress toward NCD and injury prevention that can be replicated in other jurisdictions.
The five winning cities, each of which will receive US$150,000 to continue their work with the association, are:
- Athens, Greece to increase access to the opioid overdose reversal agent, naloxone, in community organizations and among health professionals. The city also began researching causes of death among people who inject drugs to better understand the impact of the overdose crisis;
- Bangalore, India for his tobacco control efforts, specifically, reducing smoking in public places and improving enforcement of existing mandates on public smoking bans;
- Mexico City, Mexico for improving road safety and safe and active mobility through the implementation of a bike lane on a busy road that led to a 275% increase in cyclists; implement a shared bike and bus lane separate from cars; establishment of loading and unloading areas; and optimize the design and management of roads near schools;
- Montevideo, Uruguay for establishing nutritional standards for the preparation and sale of food in offices of government agencies and some public universities, for focusing on sodium reduction policies and developing media campaigns and educational materials; and
- Vancouver, Canada for making public health data more inclusive and accessible by launching an online public health data tool that tracks population health indicators and works with urban indigenous communities to better inform data management.
“These initiatives not only improve the health of Londoners, but they take pressure off our health service and ensure that future generations can prosper. Improving the health of Londoners will always be at the heart of my vision to build a safer and more prosperous London for all.”said London Mayor Sadiq Khan“I am delighted to join mayors from around the world today to address some of the most important issues facing our cities. The health of our citizens is a city’s greatest asset, so I’m taking bold steps to invest in the health of Londoners, including restricting junk food advertising on the Transport for London network and expanding the Ultra Low Emissions Zone , which will mean five million more Londoners will be able to breathe cleaner air.”
“Cities are places where health can be produced or compromised”, said José Luis Castro, president and CEO of Vital Strategies. “We applaud the work of urban leaders around the world in their efforts to create healthier, stronger and more equitable cities. We look forward to continuing our work supporting cities with the tools and resources needed to bring to fruition proven solutions that prevent noncommunicable diseases and injuries.”
Notes to editors:
The mayors who attended the inaugural Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit, and their city’s public health focus areas, are:
- Mayor Kiritkumar Jivanlal ParmarAhmadabad, India
Focus Area: Noncommunicable Disease Surveillance - Mayor Kostas BakoyannisAthens, Greece
Focus Area: Overdose Prevention - Mayor Jose SartoFortaleza, Brazil
Focus Area: Improving Air Quality Surveillance - Mayor Erias LukwagoKampala, Uganda
Focus Area: Improving Air Quality Surveillance - Mayor Balendra ShahKathmandu, Nepal
Focus Area: Improving Air Quality Surveillance - Mayor Samuel PyneKumasi, Ghana
Focus area: Reducing traffic fatalities through speed management - Mayor Sadiq KhanLondon, United Kingdom
Focus Area: Reducing children’s exposure to unhealthy food and beverages through advertising restrictions - Mayor Chilando ChitangalaLusaka, Zambia
Focus Area: Reducing road traffic injuries, with a focus on women and children - Mayor Carolina CosseMontevideo, Uruguay
Focus Area: Nutrition Standards - Mayor Joy BelmonteQuezon City, Philippines
Focus Area: Pursuing healthier restaurant environments, with a focus on calorie labeling on menus - Governor Claudio Orrego LarrainSantiago, Chile
Focus area: development of a metropolitan mobility policy - Mayor Carolina MejíaSanto Domingo Dominican Republic
Focus area: Speed management on urban avenues - Mayor Se Hoon OhSeoul, South Korea
Focus Area: Improving Enforcement of Restrictions on Tobacco Advertising in Public Areas
About the Alliance for Healthy Cities
The Partnership for Healthy Cities (PHC), supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Vital Strategies, is a prestigious global network of 70 cities whose mayors have committed to preventing NCDs, including cancer. , diabetes and heart disease. and chronic lung disease—and injuries through proven interventions.
In 2021, the Alliance launched Policy Accelerator to support an initial cohort of 15 cities in the network to create and adopt sound public health policies and institutionalize development processes for future policies. A second cohort of Policy Accelerator Cities will be announced at the Summit. You can find more information and statistics about the Partnership for Healthy Cities and the Policy Accelerator at cities4health.org.
About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure longer and better lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas to create lasting change: the arts, education, the environment, government innovation, and public health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, his personal and corporate philanthropy, as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy serving cities around the world. In 2022, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $1.7 billion. For more information please visitbloomberg.org, register in our Newsletter,or follow us onFacebook,instagram,Youtube,Twitterand LinkedIn .
About the World Health Organization
Dedicated to the well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere the same chance for a safe and healthy life. We are the UN health agency connecting nations, partners and people on the front lines in more than 150 locations, leading the global response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health problems and expanding access. to drugs and medical care. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.
For more information visit www.who.intand follow the WHO on Twitter, Facebook, instagram, LinkedIn, Tik Tok, pinterest, Snapchat , Youtube
About vital strategies
Vital Strategies believes that all people should be protected by an equitable and effective public health system. We partner with governments, communities and organizations around the world to reimagine public health so that health is compatible everywhere we live, work and play. The result is that millions of people live longer, healthier lives. To know more visit www.vitalstrategies.orgor follow us @VitalStrat.
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