Belfast Healthy Cities

Belfast has been part of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network since its inception in 1988, and is presently about to conclude Phase III. A central focus of the work during Phase III has been to produce a City Health Development Plan, which was published last year. The Planning for a Healthy City document was launched in February 2002, with broad endorsement from all sectors in the city.

Like other Healthy Cities, Belfast Healthy Cities strives to put health high on the agenda of decision-makers. In addition, key aims are to:

• Place health at the centre of all public policy development
• Build capacity to promote action to tackle inequalities in health
• Support communities to assess health impact at the local level
• Promote information and stimulate debate on public health issues within the city

To fulfil the goals, Belfast Healthy Cities focuses on establishing intersectoral working groups within all programmes, and encourage information sharing as well as learning from best practice.

Belfast Healthy Cities has been at the forefront of introducing the concept of intersectoral working for health development, which now is recommended practice across Northern Ireland. Present foci of work are health development and healthy urban planning, equity in health, Community Health Impact Assessment and capacity building. There is also a focus on communication and sharing information between sectors and other WHO Healthy Cities.

Belfast Healthy Cities is an independent organisation which has close links to several statutory, voluntary and community organisations including the City Council, the Eastern Health and Social Services Board, South and East Belfast Health and Social Services Trust, North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

For more information, visit Belfast Healthy Cities website, which gives detailed information about the current programmes and ongoing European work.