Belfast Healthy Cities attended the WHO Summit of Mayors on Climate and Health in Cork, bringing Belfast into an international conversation on how climate action can help create healthier, fairer and more resilient communities.

The Summit, which took place from 4th to 6th October, brought together political leaders, public health experts, practitioners and community representatives from cities across Europe to explore the relationship between climate, health and urban policy.

The Belfast delegation included the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Róis-Máire Donnelly, Belfast Healthy Cities Chief Executive Officer Charlene Brooks and Healthy City Co-ordinator Jacqueline O’Hagan alongside Belfast Healthy Cities Associate Board Member and Assistant Director at NIHE, Emma Stubbs. Anne McCusker from Belfast Healthy Cities also participated in the Summit representing the UK Healthy Cities and Towns Network.

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Róis-Máire Donnelly, said:

“Cities are on the front line of many of the challenges created by climate change, but they are also places where we can take meaningful action to improve people’s lives.

“Cosúil le háiteanna eile, tá neart le foghlaim againn ach cuid mhór rudaí maithe á dhéanamh againn fosta. Táthar orainn uilig tabhairt fán obair thábhachtach seo lena chinntiú go bhfuil gníomhú ar son na haeráide lárnach inár gcuid pleanála don todhchaí le neamhionannas a laghdú agus le Béal Feirste atá níos inbhuanaithe a chruthú.

“Belfast has a great deal to learn from other cities, but we also have valuable experience to share. The Summit was an important opportunity to strengthen those connections and consider how climate action can also support better health, reduce inequalities and create a more sustainable Belfast for everyone.”

The Summit considered how decisions about transport, housing, energy, green space and the wider urban environment can support both better health and climate action.

For Belfast Healthy Cities, the Summit was closely connected to the Healthy Cities approach of placing health and wellbeing at the heart of decisions across different sectors and recognising that the places where people live, work and move have a major influence on their health.

Charlene Brooks, Chief Executive Officer of Belfast Healthy Cities, said:

“Climate and health are closely connected. The quality of our homes, our streets, our transport systems, our green spaces and the wider environment all have a direct impact on people’s health and wellbeing.

“One of the real strengths of the Healthy Cities movement is the opportunity to learn from cities facing many of the same challenges and to bring that learning back into practical action locally.

“We were delighted to represent Belfast in Cork alongside the Lord Mayor and to see such strong Belfast representation across the programme. We now look forward to bringing the learning, ideas and connections from the Summit back to our partners across the city.”

Belfast also had a direct voice within the Summit programme through Emma Stubbs, a member of the Belfast Healthy Cities Board and Assistant Director at the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

Emma Stubbs joined the panel for a session entitled ‘Healthy Homes for Stronger Communities’.

The session examined the important relationship between housing, energy and health, including the impact of cold, damp or insecure housing on physical and mental wellbeing. It also explored how improving housing quality, reducing fuel poverty, supporting cleaner and more efficient home energy, and strengthening local delivery can help reduce inequalities while contributing to climate action.

Emma was joined on the panel by Dagur B. Eggertsson, Member of Parliament and former Mayor of Reykjavik; Brian Ó Gallachoir, Director of the Environmental Research Institute at University College Cork; community energy transition advocate Oliver Deasy; and youth representative Ellie Cogan Lavelle.

The Summit also provided an important opportunity for the UK Healthy Cities and Towns Network to strengthen connections between cities and towns across the UK, joined by representatives from Birmingham, and Derry and Strabane.

Anne McCusker, UK Healthy Cities and Towns Network Co-ordinator, said:

“One of the great strengths of the Healthy Cities approach is the opportunity for cities and towns to learn from one another and to see how shared challenges are being approached in different places.

“The relationship between climate and health is increasingly important for every city and community. Through the UK Healthy Cities and Towns Network, we want to make sure that learning from events such as this is shared widely and helps support practical action across the UK.

“The Summit in Cork provided an excellent opportunity to build relationships, exchange ideas and ensure that the experiences of cities across the UK were part of the wider European conversation.”

The Summit programme also included discussions on active cities and healthier transport, climate resilience and political leadership, alongside workshops and site visits demonstrating practical approaches to creating healthier and more sustainable urban environments.