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Healthy Counties and Cities
From Healthy Ireland; Department of Health
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About gov.ie
From Healthy Ireland; Department of Health
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The Healthy Cities programme is a global World Health Organization (WHO) movement, set up initially in 1987 with 11 individual cities. The concept is based on the importance of local action and the key role of local governments and Local Authorities in health and sustainable development. As the WHO Healthy Cities programme expanded, National Networks were established.
National Networks connect and support all cities and counties within their country. Today, there are accredited National Networks in 20 countries in the WHO European Region, bringing together more than 1,100 cities, counties and towns. The National Healthy Cities and Counties of Ireland Network received accreditation from the WHO in 2016.
The aim of the National Healthy Cities and Counties of Ireland Network is to develop a structure to support Local Authorities to implement the Healthy Ireland Framework. The Network currently has 31 members. These are:
A healthy city or county works to:
Local Community Development Committees are helping to create and sustain healthy places for people to be born, grow, live, work and age in. Each local authority has set up an Local Community Development Committee to develop, co-ordinate and implement local and community development programmes.
Working with a range of organisations and groups, the Local Community Development Committees are ideally placed to support Healthy Ireland in response to local people’s needs. Local Community Development Committees are key partners in realising a Healthy Ireland through developing the National Healthy Cities and Counties Network of Ireland.
Local Authorities, through their LCDC, can apply to join the National Healthy Cities and Counties of Ireland Network using WHO criteria that are based on the European health policy framework, Health 2020. These criteria set an international quality standard. There are national networks in 20 countries in the WHO European Region, bringing together more than 1,400 cities and towns.
For further information on the National Healthy Cities and Counties of Ireland Network, please contact the National Healthy Cities and Counties of Ireland Network Coordinator Vinnie O'Shea at voshea@waterfordcouncil.ie