High Level Meeting: Healthy Cities: Improving health, equity and sustainability from the local level

Under the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Ministry of Health held a “High level meeting" Healthy cities: Improving health, equity and sustainability from the local level in the EU”. The Conference took place in Valencia, in the Joan Plaça Auditorium of the Botanical Garden, 27^th-28^th September 2023.

The conference aimed to share and highlight experiences of health promotion at the local level in the EU. The current existing challenges such as the climate crisis, the environment, and non-communicable diseases have a significant impact on health, and share common factors and solutions. The local level plays a key role to address and respond to these challenges.

The meeting took place on 28^th September, starting at 9:00h and ending at 16:05h. It began with the inauguration and was followed by a keynote speech and three round tables on the following topics: Local health and equity, Community participation and advocacy in local health, and Sustainable and healthy urbanism and active mobility.

The presentations from all speakers and the recording of the meeting are available here:

17:30 - 19:00 h. Cultural activity for attendees and speakers - OPTIONAL
Guided tour in the Botanical Garden of Valencia

19:00 h. Informal dinner - OPTIONAL

8:30 - 9:00 h. Receipt and delivery of documentation
Rapporteur. Mr. Javier Segura. Expert of the Scientific Committee of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network

9:00 - 9:25 h. Institutional opening

• Ms. María José Catalá Verdet. Mayoress of Valencia and Member of the Governing Board of the FEMP
• Ms. Ángeles Solanes Corella. Vice-Chancellor for Lifelong Learning, Teaching Transformation and Employment of the University of Valencia
• Mr. Marciano Gómez Gómez. Regional Minister of Health of the Comunitat Valenciana
• Mr. José Manuel Miñones Conde. Minister of Health. Spain

9:25 - 9:35 h. Foto de Grupo - view photo

9:35 - 10:05 h. Framework Conference: “Local authorities as promoters of health, equity and sustainability”

Presentation by Ms. Kira Fortune, WHO Regional Coordinator for European Healthy Cities Network
View presentation

10:05 - 10:35 h. Coffee Break

10:35 - 11:50 h. Roundtable 1: Local Health and Equity
Moderator: Ms. Carme Borrell. Manager of the Public Health Agency of Barcelona City Council.

• “The importance of the local level for healthy ageing”
  Ms. Maite Pozo. Coordinator of the Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities
  View presentation
• Huesca, a city for children
  Ms. Lorena Orduna Pons. Mayor of Huesca
• Transforming cities with a gender perspective
  Ms. Elin Andersdotter Fabre. Her Cities Coordinator. UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme)
  View presentation
• Projects at local level focused on the socially vulnerable population
  Mr. Jesús López Alonso. Councilor of the Environment Area of the Logroño City Council
  View presentation
• Improving emotional well-being from a perspective that unites art, health and culture
  Ms. Ana Casla Puig. Referent of the mental health promotion programme. Madrid City Council
  Ms. Noemí Ávila Valdés. Associate Professor. Complutense University of Madrid
  View presentation

Discussion

11:50 - 13:10 h. Roundtable 2: Community participation and local health advocacy
Moderator: Mr. Javier Segura. Expert of the Scientific Committee of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network.

• Networking for the promotion of local health and community health in Spain
  Ms. Ana Gil Luciano. Head of the Health Promotion and Equity Area. Ministry of Health
  View presentation
  Spanish Network of Healthy Cities
  Ms. Gema Rodríguez. Head of the Sustainable Development Area. Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces
  View presentation
• Citizen participation in local health and environmental equity in Utrecht
  Ms. Miriam Weber. WHO European Healthy Cities Network Chair for Utrecht, Netherlands
  View presentation
• How to advocate for health at the political level
  Ms. Vigdis Holm. Head of the Norwegian Healthy Cities Network
  View presentation - Watch video
• Xarxa Salut network and tools to promote health at local level in a participatory way. Adaptation of "Place Standard". European projects
  Ms. Rosana Peiró Pérez. General Subdirectorate for Prevention and Health Promotion. General Directorate of Public Health. Conselleria de Sanitat. Generalitat Valenciana. Spain
  View presentation
• Einasalut Platform and the work in local health through it
  Ms. Catalina Núñez Jiménez. Health Promotion Service of the General Directorate of Public Health of the Balearic Islands
  View presentation
  

Discussion

13:10-14:30 h. Lunch

14:30-15:45 h. Roundtable 3: Sustainable and healthy urbanism and active mobility
Moderator: Ms. Ana los Ángeles Marín Andreu. Director of the Mobility Strategy Office. General Secretariat of Transport and Mobility. Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda.

• National strategy for walking. Implementation at local level
  Ms. Eva Mastny. Department of Active Mobility and Mobility Management of the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology. Republic of Austria
  View presentation
• Estepona for the climate
  Mr. José María García Urbano. Mayor of Estepona
• Urban epidemiology and its relevance to sustainable urbanism
  D. Manuel Franco. Researcher at the Universities of Alcalá de Henares and Johns Hopkins. Principal Investigator Heart Healthy Hoods and Photovoice Villaverde Projects
  View presentation
• Actions to promote sustainability and health
  Mr. José Ignacio Lacomba Andueza. Head of Parks and Gardens Services of Valencia City Council
  View presentation

Discussion

15:45 - 15:55 h. Conclusions
Ms. Pilar Aparicio. Director-General of Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Spain

15:55 - 16:05 h. Closing
M. Octavio Rivera Atienza. Sub-Secretary of Health of Spain