UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion via video, Nov. 21. (Xinhua/Yang Nuo)

The weightiest global meeting for health advocacy of the year, the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion, has just unveiled its key achievement, the Shanghai Consensus on Healthy Cities.

More than 100 mayors from cities across the globe vowed at the Shanghai conference to integrate health as a core consideration in all policies, and to make concrete efforts to ensure healthier lifestyles.

The consensus highlights a set of governance principles, including implementation of urban development policies to reduce poverty and inequity, the promotion of strong community engagement, and the boosting of health literacy. It also calls to build an assessment and monitoring system for diseases and other health determinants.

The consensus covers the elimination of air, water and soil pollution, as well as climate change and the health of the urban poor. It also emphasizes smoke-free environments that are safe for women and children.

The conference, led by WHO, rotates host cities every four years. This is the first time it is being held in China, the country with the world’s biggest population and thus the toughest challenge when it comes to maintaining health.

Officials from the World Health Organization, health ministers and more than 100 Healthy City mayors attended the meeting. 

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