Guardian Labs online feature “How to Become a Healthier City” highlights urban public health achievements around the globe.
November 19, 2024 (New York, USA) — Cities have long been at the forefront of public health, driving efforts to prevent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and respiratory diseases, which together claim 41 million lives annually. They can also take action to protect people from injuries, particularly those connected to road traffic crashes, which cause an estimated 1.19 million deaths a year. Urban leaders are taking bold action to confront these leading causes of death by implementing proven strategies—like creating smoke-free environments, encouraging healthier diets and ensuring safer roads. That’s the concept at the core of the Partnership for Healthy Cities’ October 2023 Guardian Labs feature, “How to Become a Healthier City,” which highlights how member cities are working to prevent NCDs and injuries. Today, the feature earned an esteemed Anthem Award in the Health category. The Anthem Awards look to recognize the work and people that are changing the world and inspiring others to take action in their own communities.
The Partnership for Healthy Cities is a prestigious global network of 74 cities committed to saving lives by preventing NCDs and injuries that is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the global health organization Vital Strategies.
Accomplishments since 2017 among the Partnership cities, home to approximately 320 million residents, include the passage of more than 30 life-saving public health policies. Highlighted in the Guardian Labs feature were new such laws in Quezon City, Philippines to encourage healthier eating; in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to reduce road speeds; and in Cape Town, South Africa to decrease secondhand smoke.
“With more than half of the world’s population living in cities, efforts to improve health outcomes at the local level are more impactful than ever,” said Dr. Kelly Henning, public health program lead, Bloomberg Philanthropies. “The public health achievements of the Partnership for Healthy Cities are important to highlight at a time when NCDs and injuries are responsible for more than 80% of deaths globally. We are proud of this recognition from the Anthem Awards.”
“Cities play a fundamental role in creating environments that protect people’s health and wellbeing,” said Dr. Etienne Krug, director of the Department of Social Determinants of Health at the World Health Organization. “We are delighted to see their achievements recognized with this award, showing how evidence-based policies can advance both local and global action.”
“These powerful public health profiles highlight the importance of our life-saving work,” said Ariella Rojhani, Director of the Partnership for Healthy Cities at Vital Strategies. “The Anthem Awards recognition not only celebrates our storytelling but also helps elevate the visibility of the Partnership’s mission to drive meaningful change in communities worldwide.”
About the Partnership for Healthy Cities
The Partnership for Healthy Cities is a prestigious global network of 74 cities committed to saving lives by preventing NCDs and injuries. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with WHO and the global health organization Vital Strategies, the initiative enables cities around the world to deliver a high-impact policy or programmatic intervention to reduce NCDs and injuries in their communities. For more information, visit https://cities4health.org.
Media Contact:
Bloomberg Philanthropies – Veronica Lewin, veronical@bloomberg.org
Vital Strategies – Sally Chew, schew@vitalstrategies.org
World Health Organization – Jin Ni, jinn@who.int