WHO European Healthy Cities Network

The WHO European Healthy Cities programme is now in its fourth phase (2003 -2008).  The programme engages local governments to improve health, through political commitment, capacity building, partnership based planning and the development of innovative projects. Worldwide, there are over 10 000 healthy cities, which have committed themselves to prioritising and developing health at a strategic level.

Cities designated to the WHO European Healthy Cities Network are cities more advanced in this process, and have full political commitment to implementing the core themes specified for member cities.

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Phase IV 2003-2008

Phase IV is supported by the Belfast political declaration

Cities designated to Phase IV have six strategic goals:

1. To promote policies and action for health and sustainable development at the local level and across the European Region, with an emphasis on the determinants of health, poverty and the needs of vulnerable groups.

2. To increase accessibility of the WHO Healthy Cities Network to all Member States of the European Region.

3. To promote solidarity, cooperation and working links between European cities and networks and with cities and networks participating in the healthy cities movement in other WHO Regions.

4. To strengthen the national standing of Healthy Cities in the context of policies for health development, public health and urban regeneration.

5. To play an active health advocacy role at European and global levels through partnerships with other agencies concerned with urban issues and networks of local authorities.

6. To generate the policy and practice know-how, the good evidence and the case studies for promoting health to all cities in the Region.

In practice, WHO sets core themes and objectives for cities, which determine the agenda for each five year phase.  Cities are expected to develop programmes for each theme that are appropriate for local circumstances and also integrate work on the themes.
Core themes in Phase IV are healthy ageing, health impact assessment, healthy urban planning and physical activity/active living.   
Progress is monitored at yearly WHO Business Meetings and cities complete ART (Annual Reporting Templates) which are forwarded on an annual basis to WHO Europe early in the calendar year. 
Each phase culminates in an International Healthy Cities Conference.  A very successful Conference at the end of Phase III, in 2003 was held in Belfast with 800 delegates from around the world attending.

WHO European Healthy Cities Advisory Committee.

The WHO European Healthy Cities Advisory Committee consists of six cities and our Programme Director, Joan Devlin was elected chair of the WHO Advisory Committee in October 2005.  The role of the Advisory Committee is to support the WHO European Healthy Cities office in the implementation of Phase IV Themes.
Other elected cities include Udine, Italy; Bursa, Turkey; Lodz, Poland; Seixal, Portugal and Sandnes, Norway.

WHO European Healthy Cities sub networks

WHO established sub networks on the core themes of Phase IV to provide leadership on the core themes and to develop expertise that would provide learning for all cities across the European Network.  sub networks are intended for smaller groups of cities who have particular experience of or interest in one of the core areas of work.  They are expected to develop practical products - such as training, research and tools that will benefit the Network as a whole. There are three sub networks, and WHO European Healthy Cities are expected to participate in at least one of them.

Each sub network is chaired by a lead city with particular experience of the theme and has 10-15 member cities. The sub networks meet twice each year and are supported by WHO expert advisors and or Institutes that have a particular expertise in the subject area. 

WHO Health Impact Assessment sub network

Belfast is the lead city for the sub network on HIA.  The HIA sub network is co-chaired by Belfast Healthy Cities and the Institute of Public Health in Ireland, which develops HIA training programmes on an all-island basis. The network has seven member cities in addition to Belfast: Bologna (Italy), Brighton and Hove (UK), Copenhagen (Denmark), Geneva (Switzerland), Helsingborg (Sweden), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Turin (Italy), Turku (Finland) and Yalova (Turkey).  Erica Ison, HIA specialist is the WHO expert advisor to the group. 

The sub network has concentrated on arranging training events across the European Network, particularly for HIA beginners.  More recently a HIA Practice Development workshop was held for cities that have gained some experience in conducting HIAs.    Until summer 2006, training events have been arranged in Paris (France), Lodz (Poland) and Turku, with further sessions planned to enable all cities in the network to be trained in HIA.

The HIA sub network is also exploring ways of making links with the Healthy Urban Planning sub network and the Healthy Ageing Subnetwork to develop ways of cross linking work on the core themes. 

The WHO HIA Toolkit acts as a resource to all cities.

Healthy Ageing sub network

Hugh Connor, Director of Health & Social Services in the EHSSB has contributed as an expert advisor to the sub network on healthy ageing, which is led by Stockholm in Sweden. A key role for the sub network has been to develop a template for developing profiles of older people in all Healthy Cities. The network will also analyse these profiles and produce Europe wide indicators which can be compared from city to city. The network also aims to develop guidance on healthy ageing in relation to access to services and urban planning.

The Institute of Ageing Stockholm chair the Healthy Ageing sub network and Professor Geoff Green is the expert advisor to this group.

WHO Healthy Urban Planning sub network

The lead city for the healthy urban planning sub network is the city of Milan in Italy, and Belfast is one of 15 member cities.  We are represented in the Healthy Urban Planning sub network by a senior planner form BMAP (Belfast Metropolitan Plan) team.   We were also involved in the predecessor to the sub network, the City Action Group on healthy urban planning which initiated work on the concept in 2001-2003.

The action plan of this sub network focuses on training, introducing the concept of healthy urban planning to cities, developing tools and identifying areas on which principles can be applied.  The sub network has identified four areas for action: obesity and physical activity; transport; neighbourhoods and healthy ageing. 

The Polytechnic of Milan and Hugh Barton from the WHO Collaborating Centre for the Built Environment/University of West England are the WHO Expert advisors to the group. 

Multi City Action Plan on Active Living

The Multi City Action Plan (MCAP) Group on Active Living is not a sub network, but a forum for cities particularly interested in active living. This group has been in place since 1997 and Belfast was one of its founding members.

The MCAP group has developed an action plan for 2005-2007, which focuses on obesity in children. This action plan includes the development of a Case Studies publication outlining information on physical activity projects which focus on reducing obesity.

Belfast is represented on the group by Belfast Healthy Cities and the Eastern Health and Social Services Board.