WHO Healthy Cities Healthy Ageing Sub Network Meets in Belfast - February 2013

Belfast Healthy Cities was delighted to welcome the WHO European Healthy Cities Healthy Ageing Subnetwork to Belfast. The subnetwork met on Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 February at Belfast City Hall. Participants included Dr Manfred Huber, Coordinator, Healthy Ageing, Disability and Long-term Care, WHO Regional Office for Europe, who also gave the keynote address at the most recent Belfast Healthy Cities 25th Anniversary lecture series A Life Course Approach: Healthy and Active Ageing. More information

Cities who participated in the meeting included subnetwork lead city Udine, Italy, represented by Mayor Professor Furio Honsell who also addressed the lecture; Horsens, Denmark; Uppsala, Sweden; Ankara, Turkey; Izmir, Turkey; Brno, Czech Republic; Newcastle upon Tyne and Manchester.

The group were also officially welcomed to the city by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Alderman Gavin Robinson.

The function of subnetworks is to support cities in the WHO European Network and national networks to deliver the overarching goal of Phase V of health and health equity in all local policies and on the core themes. Subnetworks provide opportunities for cities:

• to develop collaborative innovation and intersectoral action
• to act as demonstration projects for the integration of equity
• to develop guidance and training materials
• to collate case studies
• to use electronic media to support cities
• to be a representative forum for further debate
• to disseminate results to the WHO European Network and to the national Healthy Cities networks in the WHO European Region
• to act as a resource and inspiration to WHO and to all cities
• to be proactive in contributing to sessions at the annual WHO business and technical conference, and
• to organise training and learning events at two levels: introductory and advanced training, including developing training materials.

In Phase V, four subnetworks have been formed, focusing on:

• health equity (Belfast – lead city)
• healthy urban environment and design (Belfast reps include: Carol Ramsey (DSD) and Robin Hawe (NIHE); also attended by Belfast Healthy Cities staff)
• health literacy
• healthy ageing