Doha, October 31 (QNA) - The works of the Eastern Mediterranean Region Healthy Cities Conference 2023, organized by the Ministry of Public Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) kicked off Tuesday in the presence of HE Minister of Public Health Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari and with the participation of representatives of 15 countries.
The opening ceremony was attended by WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr. Ahmed bin Salim Al Mandhari.
The main theme of the conference, which will last for three days, is "Healthy Cities: A Multisectoral Approach to Health and Well-being". 43 local and international experts will speak, and about 1300 participants are expected to attend the conference in total, both in person and online.
HE Minister of Public Health Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari said that the State of Qatar works to promote the health and well-being of the population and achieve sustainability, guided by the wise leadership vision, and to achieve the Qatar National Vision 2030, pointing out that the Healthy Cities program serves the country's efforts in this regard.
Her Excellency expressed her proud that Qatar is the first country where all municipalities received the title of Healthy City from the World Health Organization, in addition to Qatar Foundation's Education City being recognized as a Healthy Education City and Qatar University as a Healthy University.
HE Minister of Health went on to stress how the Healthy Cities approach aims to make health a priority for cities, by promoting health, equity, and sustainable development, adding that Qatar has adopted this approach, and translated it into strategic initiatives, policies and best practices by following the Health in All Policies' strategic priority and with close cooperation between various sectors in the country.
Her Excellency indicated that this conference is an opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences with other countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region and with WHO Healthy City Networks across various regions, expressing her confidence that the strengthening of Healthy Cities movement will contribute to enhance cooperation in advancing urban health strategies in the Region to promote health and well-being.
For his part, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr. Ahmed bin Salim Al Mandhari reiterated the Healthy Cities program's important role in creating a multisectoral platform for health promotion and well-being.
In his speech during the conference he stated that Healthy Cities can contribute to accelerate the achievement of our regional and global objectives and our progress towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goals. They can also contribute to combat noncommunicable diseases and support the regional implementation of the new Global framework for integrating well-being into public health utilizing a health promotion approach'.
He added that the program has made remarkable progress in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, with the Regional Healthy Cities Network expanding dramatically, from 64 cities in 11 countries in 2019 to 111 cities in 15 countries in 2023, noting that in spite of the challenges that prevent many of the countries from making progress in the shift to Healthy Cities, but there are more opportunities than ever to do so.
He pointed out the need to take into account the challenges and opportunities when planning to make Smart Cities a reality, in line with the regional vision of Health for All and Health by All'," expressing his thanks to Qatar's Ministry of Public Health for co-organizing the conference that serves as inspiration to other WHO Member States to support the expansion of Healthy Cities within and across the Region's countries.
In the keynote address, Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity, University College London Professor Sir Michael Marmot, spoke about Healthy Cities as a multisectoral platform to address the social determinants of health.
The conference aims to explore how to scale up the Healthy Cities approach across the Eastern Mediterranean Region in line with WHO's Thirteenth General Program of Work, the Sustainable Development Goals and the regional Vision 2023 goal of "Health for All by All". The conference also aims to contribute to advance urban health strategies, leading the way towards healthier cities and communities across the Region and beyond.
The conference will review the Healthy Cities movement within the Region at the city level, as well as Qatar's experience in this field.
The conference includes 4 workshops to discuss tackling obesity in urban environments; the Healthy Cities and Urban Environments Network; physical activity and the urban environment; and behavioral sciences for better health. (QNA)