Home News News 2008 WHO Healthy Cities Conference, Zagreb, Croatia
2008 WHO Healthy Cities Conference, Zagreb, Croatia Print E-mail

This conference, marking 20 years of the Healthy Cities movement in Europe, provided an exciting forum to debate and shape visions and plans for the future. There was a wide range of opportunities to share results, gain knowledge and make contacts.

Zagreb

The Conference objectives were:

  • to demonstrate the importance of action for health at the local and urban level and the determinants of health and wellbeing in urban settings 

  • to explore the roles and implications of city leadership for health and sustainable development both locally and globally 

  • to address and debate emerging public health priorities in the urban context 

  • to articulate goals and visions for the future and to strengthen political commitment and solidarity.

Zagreb Declaration

Mayors and other city leaders have adopted the Zagreb Declaration for Healthy Cities, which moves beyond providing health care to promoting health, preventing disease and disability, and taking systematic action on inequality. City leaders will be advocates and custodians of their citizens’ health.

This Declaration expresses the clear and strong commitment of political leaders of cities in Europe to strengthen and champion action on health, health equity, sustainable development and social justice. It celebrates and builds on twenty years of European Healthy City movement knowledge, experience and public health accomplishments. It highlights continuing action and value priorities, and identifies new challenges, evidence and approaches, e.g., as outlined in the final report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health, for cities to address and adopt as they work to protect and enhance the health and well being of all their citizens. It reviews plans and priorities for Phase V (2009-2013) of the WHO Healthy Cities Network and European National Healthy Cities Networks and identifies ways in which regional and national governments and WHO can support and benefit from these approaches.