WHO - World Health Organization
WHO - World Health Organization
WHO leads global efforts to expand universal health coverage.
About
With nearly 70% of the global population projected to live in cities by 2050, the World Health Organization (WHO) considers sustainable urban development, through the lens of urban health, as a growing priority. WHO approaches cities as an important asset for ensuring health and well-being of citizens. Urban and territorial planning is an important pillar of the New Urban Agenda and the attainment of the SDGs. The WHO responded to the New Urban Agenda in Health as the pulse of the New Urban Agenda, acknowledging the interrelationship between the urban environment and health. Health as the pulse of the New Urban Agenda recognized the relevance of health for the SDGs that lie outside SDG 3 (health and well-being), and, with SDG 3, it highlighted the importance of urban governance and planning as upstream determinants of health and health equity. The WHO Urban Health Initiative, implemented in close collaboration with UN-Habitat and other partners, offers the tools, knowledge and a model process for cities and regions to facilitate the incorporation of health into planning and decision-making processes.
At its core, the New Urban Agenda is about creating the conditions for urban residents to lead healthier, safer and more fulfilling lives. Health sector actors can provide the relevant evidence, know-how and guidance on good practices to inform and shape healthy urban planning for the 21st century. WHO is poised to help cities around the world embrace a systems approach to their interlinked environmental, economic and health challenges, supporting coordination between sectors and across the governance, finance, planning and outreach processes.
WHO has supported urban health issues through initiatives within technical departments and well-established city networks across the world. In the WHO Thirteenth General Programme of Work 2019–2023, one goal aims at supporting one billion more people enjoying better health and well-being by 2023. In 2019, under WHO Transformation, the Secretariat established the new Department of Social Determinants of Health (SDH) to scale up global work, including on strengthening urban health. The SDH department now functions as internal focal point for urban health within the organization and is scaling work to enhance synergies and local impact.
At WHO Headquarters, the breadth of technical areas covered by urban health work is wide with targeted action in areas such as air pollution, transport, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), injuries, health emergency preparedness in cities and urban settings specifically, including for all-hazards, COVID-19 and pandemic preparedness, vector control, malaria, nutrition and more. At the regional level, offices have been following mandates on urban health by expanding promotion programs with municipalities (Americas region), piloting local interventions such as the Urban Health Initiative (African region), updating global tools such as the HEAT tool (Europe region), conducting urban community outreach programs (Eastern Mediterranean region), setting up a regional observatory for urban governance (South-East Asian region) and validating a regional framework for healthy cities (Western Pacific region).
For the New Urban Agenda to succeed, key actors and stakeholders in urban planning, governance and finance must incorporate health as a central consideration in their decision-making processes. Expected health impacts should be assessed during the development of urban policies. Health outcomes and health equity (the attainment of the highest level of health for all people) should be key indicators used in monitoring the impact of those policies. For decision-makers who apply a focused but flexible “health lens“ to the New Urban Agenda, new opportunities – and cost-effective, inclusive ways of taking advantage of them – will come into sharp focus.
The WHO Urban Health Initiative (UHI) is a global program launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2010. The goal of the UHI is to address the health challenges facing urban populations, which are increasing in number and density around the world.
The UHI recognizes that urban areas pose unique challenges to health, such as overcrowding, pollution, and inadequate access to health services. The program aims to address these challenges by working with governments and other stakeholders to develop and implement policies and programs that promote urban health. In particular, it aims to reduce deaths and diseases caused by air pollution and lack of clean energy access in cities.
The Initiative focuses on:
- Health governance: This involves working with local governments and other stakeholders to develop policies and regulations that promote urban health, as well as to ensure that health is integrated into urban planning and development.
- Health promotion: This involves implementing programs to promote healthy behaviors and lifestyles among urban residents, such as promoting physical activity and healthy eating.
- Health systems strengthening: This involves improving access to health services in urban areas, including primary care, emergency care, and specialized services.
The UHI also places a strong emphasis on equity, recognizing that health disparities often exist between different populations within urban areas. The program aims to address these disparities by targeting interventions to the most vulnerable and marginalized populations, such as low-income communities and informal settlements. It has been implemented in a number of cities and countries around the world.
The WHO Age-friendly cities network is a global initiative launched to promote cities that are more inclusive and accessible for people of all ages, particularly older adults. The initiative aims to create environments that promote healthy aging, social inclusion, and community engagement. Since its launch in 2006, the network has grown significantly and currently includes more than 1,000 cities and communities from around the world.
The cities and communities have committed to adopting a set of principles for creating age-friendly environments. These principles include 8 interconnected domains of urban life:
- Community and health care
- Transportation
- Housing
- Social Participation
- Outdoor Spaces and Buildings
- Respect and Social Inclusion
- Civic Participation and Employment
- Communication and Information
Cities and communities that join the network must conduct an assessment of their current age-friendliness and develop an action plan to address any gaps identified. The WHO provides guidance and resources to support this process, including a toolkit for assessing and improving age-friendliness, as well as access to a global network of experts and best practices.
The Partnership for Healthy Cities is a global network of cities and municipalities that are committed to promoting public health and preventing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. The Partnership has been initiated by WHO and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and is supported by several other organizations, including Vital Strategies, the World Heart Federation, and the Union for International Cancer Control.
The Partnership was launched in 2017 and today involves over 70 cities around the world. The program provides technical assistance, funding, and other resources to cities to support the implementation of evidence-based policies and interventions to promote public health and prevent NCDs. These policies and interventions include measures such as:
• Promoting healthy diets and physical activity
• Reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke
• Reducing harmful use of alcohol
• Improving urban air quality
• Strengthening health systems to improve the prevention and management of NCDs.
