March 16 2023 –
The City is pleased to share that Vancouver is a proud recipient of a 2023 Partnership for Healthy Cities Award for its efforts to address the root causes of health inequities experienced by people in Vancouver.
Through support from the Partnership for Healthy Cities, the City has developed tools such as the Healthy City Dashboard to track progress on population health indicators across the city’s neighbourhoods and population groups. The City has also been working with Urban Indigenous communities to develop community-led and community-governed data systems as a model for other cities working to centre the voices of equity-denied populations in their data and policy work. All of this important work provides evidence that helps the City and its community partners make informed decisions about how to create a healthier and more equitable Vancouver.
The Partnership for Healthy Cities, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Vital Strategies, is a global network of 70 cities committed to saving lives by preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries, bestowed the award to the Vancouver delegation at the Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit held in London on March 15, 2023. Mary Clare Zak, Managing Director Social Policy & Projects Division, accepted the award on behalf of the City. A recording of the award ceremony is available here External website, opens in new tab.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have received this award — it’s an incredible honour for Vancouver be recognized for our commitment to building a healthier, more equitable city,” said Mayor Ken Sim. “The Partnership for Healthy Cities has enabled our City to make population health data more accessible, relevant and engaging to our community partners, and we look forward to continuing this important work.”
The inaugural Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit is hosted by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the World Health Organization, global health organization Vital Strategies and Mayor Sadiq Khan of London. It brought together mayors and officials from more than 50 cities around the world to discuss urgent public health concerns and best practices that save lives and create healthier cities.
“Non-communicable diseases and injuries pose the number-one threat to global public health. Mayors worldwide are increasingly uniting to confront it, and the Partnership for Healthy Cities will continue to support their urgent and lifesaving work,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, 108th mayor of New York City, and WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries. “Our network’s first-ever summit showcased the best of local public health leadership, and given the gains achieved by our inaugural award winners, we expect even more leaders will follow in their footsteps as they create healthier, more vibrant cities.”
With the majority of the global population now living in urban settings, ensuring the health and well-being of residents in our world’s urban centers is crucial. NCDs – including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases – and injuries are responsible for over 80 per cent of all deaths globally. Cities are uniquely positioned to transform the fight against NCDs and injuries by implementing policies to significantly reduce exposure to risk factors. The Summit worked to highlight best practices and proven interventions.
The Partnership for Healthy Cities enables cities to protect over 305 million people across the globe from preventable deaths and injuries, using proven interventions. Each city in the Partnership has pledged to enact one of 14 health goals identified by WHO as effective in reducing NCDs and road traffic injuries.