Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, announced on the 24th that it successfully hosted the health city session (special meeting) of the 1st World Health City Forum.
The event was held over three days from the 20th to the 22nd at Songdo Convensia in Incheon, attended by more than 150 scholars from over 20 countries worldwide and organizations including the World Health Organization.
It was organized to respond to the climate crisis and to achieve a shared goal of realizing healthy future cities.
Under the theme "Globalization of Risk: How to Make the World Safer," lectures and discussions were held across various fields such as climate, environment, urban development, and health.
At this forum, the Korea Healthy Cities Partnership (KHCP), chaired by Dong-gu as the 9th chair city, conducted a session titled "Sustainable Healthy Cities: Health in All Policies."
Domestic speaker Dr. Shin Haerim, former Director of Health Promotion at the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WHO WPRO), and international speakers including Professor Keiko Nakamura of the Alliance for Healthy Cities in the Western Pacific (AFHC) and Dr. Natalie Robel of the World Health Organization shared their expert perspectives and opinions with attendees.
Following the capacity-building training for practitioners in the Honam, Chungcheong, and Jeju regions held in July, practical training such as health impact assessment education and consulting was conducted for member cities in the metropolitan and Gyeongsang regions.
In the session titled "The Future of Smart Cities: Lessons from the Pandemic," Im Taek, Mayor of Dong-gu and the 9th KHCP Chair, participated as a panelist, leading discussions on the roles to be performed by local government heads, with member cities also joining as discussants to share diverse opinions.
At the closing ceremony of the three-day forum, Mayor Im stood on the official stage to announce the "Incheon Declaration," which proclaimed five principles for smart and resilient healthy cities, enhancing the external stature of the Korea Healthy Cities Partnership.
Mayor Im stated, “It is highly significant that the Korea Healthy Cities Partnership participated in this World Health City Forum, the largest and first of its kind held domestically since COVID-19.”
He added, “I hope this forum, attended by renowned scholars from home and abroad, served as an opportunity for the partnership to grow and advance to the next level.”
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