World Health Organisation - WHO?
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.
In the 21st century, health is a shared responsibility, involving equitable access to essential care and collective defence against transnational threats.
Healthy Cities and urban governance
The WHO Healthy Cities programme engages local governments in health development through a process of political commitment, institutional change, capacity building, partnership-based planning and innovative projects. It promotes comprehensive and systematic policy and planning with a special emphasis on health inequalities and urban poverty, the needs of vulnerable groups, participatory governance and the social, economic and environmental determinants of health. It also strives to include health considerations in economic, regeneration and urban development efforts.
Over 1200 cities and towns from more than 30 countries in the WHO European Region are healthy cities. These are linked through national, regional, metropolitan and thematic Healthy Cities networks, as well as the WHO Healthy Cities network for more advanced cities.
The WHO Healthy Cities programme is now in its fourth phase (2003–2008). Cities currently involved in the Phase IV Network are working on three core themes: healthy ageing, healthy urban planning and health impact assessment. In addition, all participating cities focus on the topic of physical activity/active living. Healthy Cities is a global movement. Healthy Cities networks are established in all six WHO regions.
Introduction to healthy cities
- A healthy city is defined by a process, not an outcome.
- A healthy city is not one which has achieved a particular health status.
- It is conscious of health and striving to improve it. Thus any city can be a “healthy” city, regardless of its current health status.
- What is required is a commitment to health and a process and structure to achieve it.
- A healthy city is one that is continually creating and improving the physical and social environments and expanding the community resources that enable people to mutually support each other in performing all the functions of life and in developing to their maximum potential.
National Healthy Cities networks are the backbone of the Healthy Cities movement in Europe. They provide political, strategic and technical support to their members, represent a national resource of experience and expertise in health development and offer a dynamic platform for public health advocacy at the national and international level.
Each national network is unique. Each develops in response to the needs of its member cities, according to the resources available and within its own cultural and legal framework.
National networks have the potential and the capacity to support the development and implementation of country strategies for health promotion, noncommunicable disease prevention and environment and health.
REPORTS and INFORMATION
Download the WHO Healthy Cities Criteria (PDF, 1.2mb, opens in new window)
Download the WHO report 'From Healthy City Projects to Healthy Cities' (Apr 1999)
Click here to download the criteria for WHO Phase 4 membership
Click here to find a NHC report on the future of WHO work in Newcastle
