Global Health Promotion Conference successfully wraps up in Shanghai

The 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion came to a close in Shanghai on Nov 24.

Cui Li, vice-minister of National Health and Family Planning Commission in China addressed delegates at the closing ceremony and said that by putting health promotion in the sustainable development agenda, governments in different countries have made political promises to dedicate themselves to health promotion. She added that China would like to join with other countries to start a "new age" of health promotion.

In the last three and a half days, attendees participated in the opening ceremony, 6 plenary sessions, the healthy cities mayors' forum, and 30 parallel sessions, sharing health promotion experience and practice across different countries and regions, and conducting deep exchanges about global health work.

"The Shanghai Declaration on promoting health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," and "the Shanghai Consensus on Healthy Cities 2016," were ratified at the conference. The conference highlighted that each nation raise the awareness of a shared global community, that health promotion should be a key part of sustainable development and that a cooperation mechanism that is multi-layered and widely covered should be built. Delegates also agreed that governments, societies and individuals should work together to promote health equality, health provision, and enhance services, build a strong network of global health and allow traditional and modern medical measures to play their role.

Meanwhile, the conference called on mayors across the world to integrate health promotion into all policies. Health should be given priority in all process of social and economic development. It also suggests that leaders should actively cultivate and develop a green health economy, increase people-to-people exchanges, coordinate urban-rural development and achieve healthy development and green development in an open, inclusive environment.

At the closing ceremony, Margret Chan, WHO Director-General, suggested delegates seize the opportunity to promote health. She said that health is a "political choice" and can be promoted at the same time as disease can be cured. "The opportunity lies in policy makers as well as in each individual's hand," she said.

During the conference, Li Bin, director of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) of China, and Cui Li, deputy director of the NHFPC met with ministerial officials from international organizations and 12 countries to exchange ideas on health cooperation.