中文 | ENGLISH

The 16th International Conference on Urban Health was successfully held in Xiamen

Nov 10, 2019


    On November 5, the 16th International Conference on Urban Health (ICUH2019) was held in Xiamen. The conference gathered more than 300 experts in the field of urban health from more than 50 countries and encouraged them jointly promote the generation, exchange and application of interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral urban health knowledge.


    Professor Yong-guan Zhu from Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IUE-CAS) presided over the opening ceremony and warmly welcomed all the guests and participants. Mr. Qian Meng, Deputy Mayor of Xiamen, Dr. Tedros A. Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization (WHO) Director General, Dr. Gauden Galea, WHO Representative in China, Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of the UN-Habitat, Dr. Jo Ivey Boufford, President of International Society for Urban Health, etc. delivered speeches respectively.

    Deputy Mayor Qian Meng pointed out that health industry related closely with everyone’s interests, every family’s wellbeing and every city’s long-term development. Urban health and wellbeing will be paid more attentions of Xiamen in the future. In recent years, Xiamen Municipal Government attached great importance to the construction of healthy city, and strived to establish a health service system by 2022, which could be compatible with the level of economic and social development of Xiamen, match with the positioning of urban functions and focus on the health of citizens.

    Dr. Tedros A. Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General emphasized that health is the pulse of urban transformation and an important factor to be considered in all decision-making including transportation, energy, land use, housing, etc. In the future, sustainable transportation system, affordable housing, accessible green space, health facilities and waste management system are also significant to improve urban health and wellbeing.

    In order to promote the cooperation, innovation and integration of various sectors, ICUH2019 have designed six interdisciplinary themes, including Integrated Governance, Resilience, Health Risk Reduction, Climate Change and Healthy Cities, Economy, Trade, Employment and Social Inclusion, Emerging Diseases, Healthcare, Public Services, Urban-Rural Recoupling, Soil Security, Migration, Liveable Urban Environments, Urban Planning and Design.

    Dr. Jo Ivey Boufford, President of International Society for Urban Health, mentioned that rapid urbanization will cause more than half of the world's population living in cities. Therefore, the series of International Conferences on Urban Health will play an increasingly important role in the field of global health.

    The International Conference on Urban Health has been successfully held in many countries around the world, such as Uganda, the United States and Portugal. ICUH focuses on all aspects related to urban health and promotes policies to improve urban health. It is a great opportunity to enhance the exchange of interdisciplinary and interdepartmental knowledge. ICUH aims to provide an important platform for researchers, urban planners, practitioners, policy makers and experts from health institutions and relevant departments around the world to share research results, methods and strategic actions and to further establish cooperative relationships. It promotes interdisciplinary projects and policies through empirical research, so as to improve urban health and wellbeing.

    ICUH2019 was jointly organized by IUE-CAS, International Programme Office (IPO) of the ISC-Urban Health and Wellbeing Programme (UHWB) and Haixi Institutes, CAS.