Urban Health
World Urban Forum side event: Working in partnership to improve health and wellbeing in urban settings
Cities are where the battle for health will be won or lost!
On 6 November 2024, UN Habitat and WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, and the UN NCD Task Force will host a side event during the 12th World Urban Forum
Improving health is critical to meeting several SDG targets and 2030 is only a few years away. Between now and 2030 many cities will be built – and they need to learn lessons from existing cities in terms of what works and doesn’t work when it comes to providing an environment that is healthy and as a result maximizing economic productive.
Working in partnership to improve health and wellbeing in urban settings will see if and how governments, city authorities, the UN system, the private sector & civil society are fulfilling their responsibilities.
The concept note with the objectives and programme for the session is available here.
Brief biographic details on the keynote speakers, panelists and other participants are available here.
Further details:
Date and time: Wednesday 6 November 2024, 13.00–14.30
Venue: Egypt International Exhibition Center, Room B-8
This event will also be live streamed. Virtual participation is through the WUF12 App. To get access to WUF 12 events all participants must register on Habitat's Global Event Management System (GEMS).
Background material
WHA77.14. Climate change and health. Resolution. 2024
Partnership for healthy cities (WHO webpage)
Creating healthy cities (WHO webpage)
Hoi An Public Spaces Master Plan: A Public Space Success Story. HealthBridge. 2023
Markets in Hanoi Project: Impact Report. HealthBridge. 2023
Accessible Beaches in Kerala. HealthBridge. 2023
Safe school Zones Vietnam. Official Launch 11 April 2024 (AIP Foundation webpage).
Safe schools Africa. Amend. 2024
Examples of policies in Saudi Arabia for prevention and control of NCDs
Multiple factors influence health. And many of them are outside the control of the health sector. In cities and regions, planning and design play a central role in the prevention of disease and in fostering healthier environments. For example, effective urban design, policies, strategies, and plans lead to cleaner air, cleaner water, safer movement of the population, and better prevention measures to curb the spread of disease.
Work across UN-Habitat and WHO to drive forward action on Urban health is guided by the 2021 Memorandum of Understanding. The MoU includes NCDs and mental health and emphasises the importance of the delivering on the NCD Task Force’s 2022-2025 Strategy.
In 2023 UN-Habitat and WHO, in collaboration with the Task Force Secretariat, UNDP, UNICEF, the Convention Secretariat and OHCHR held a Briefing Session for UN-Habitat Member States during their General Assembly, ‘A better quality of life for all in an urbanising world: promoting health and wellbeing’.
8 October 2021
UN-Habitat and WHO Memorandum of Understanding
31 December 2018