Latest news with #PartnershipforHealthyCities
Forbes
14-05-2025
- Health
- Forbes
These Three Cities Honored For Their Public Health Achievements
Yes, the world is becoming more city, as I've described before in Forbes. That's city with a 'c,' meaning an increasing percentage of the world's population is living in urban settings. That means that cities are playing increasing roles in more and more people's health. That role can be bad if cities allow pollution, crime, accidents and other health threats to grow. Or it can be good as evidenced by the three cities that earned the 2025 Partnership for Healthy Cities Awards given during the 2025 edition of the Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit held in March in Paris, France. The Summit was co-hosted by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the World Health Organization (WHO), Vital Strategies, and, of course, the City of Paris. It brought together mayors and officials from 61 different cities around the world that are already part of the Partnership for Healthy Cities network. Kelly Larson, MPH, who directs this Partnership for Bloomberg Philanthropies, indicated that this global network now has all told 74 cities. It was initially launched in 2017 and has steadily grown since. 'The first step in joining this network is to have buy in from the mayor or the equivalent,' she explained. 'It includes high, middle and low income cities.' She added, 'We've identified specific non-communicable disease or injury issues that the cities can choose from to work on: tobacco, food policy, road safety, overdose prevention, pollution surveillance and most recently dealing with heat.' During the Summit the participants discussed the biggest public health issues facing cities and the world and how to, you know, actually do something about these issues rather than just blame others. This Partnership includes a Policy Accelerator that offers training and support for cities do things like what the three honored cities have done. Those cities won their awards because they made good concrete in preventing either noncommunicable diseases or injuries or both. In a statement, Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, and 108th mayor of New York City reminded everyone, 'Noncommunicable diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, and injuries are responsible for more than 80% of all deaths globally, but the good news is: They are preventable.' So without further ado, here are the three winners and what they do and have done: WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the winners by saying in statement, "Cities are at the forefront of the fight against noncommunicable diseases and injuries. The progress made in Córdoba, Fortaleza, and Greater Manchester is not only improving health today but also setting a model for others to follow.' These awardees have shown what being committed to improving the health and lives their residents and following scientific evidence can do. That's something that you don't always see at the national government level these days. For example, in the U.S., recent major cuts in public health personnel, funding and resources may make you wonder how much commitment there is to improving the health of the population. There's also been substantial cuts in what the U.S. is providing to major organizations that have been providing health and public health services around the world. All of this means that unless someone else steps up to fill these new gaps, the health of people around the world could suffer. That means that an increasing proportion of the public health responsibiilties could fall on the shoulders of cities. Larson acknowledged 'This is a challenging time for public health around the world.' But she was optimistic about what cities can do and has been by the commitments that she has seen with cities and their mayors. 'I believe in the power of cities.' She pointed out what happened in New York City when Bloomberg was mayor, 'Life expectancies in NYC increased by 3 years. We can prioritize cities and public health using model of Mike's tenure as mayor.' In other words, a city situation could end up being quite good.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
New tobacco licence rules aim to clear Bengaluru's smoke
. By implementing a separate trade licence for tobacco sales, we can bring some level of control over the sale of these products – Dr BS Triveni Smoke-Free Bengaluru initiative In a bid to control the rising smoking trend in the city, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has taken steps to mandate a separate trade licence for the sale of tobacco the regulations regarding this were announced last year, the BBMP had delayed incorporating them into the online system. However, all necessary preparations have now been made, and the new trade licence rules will soon be the new system, shops and stores selling tobacco products such as beedis, cigarettes, and gutkha will be required to obtain a tobacco trade licence in addition to the regular trade to comply will result in fines. The licence fee has been set at Rs 500 for a five-year period. If tobacco products are sold without a licence, a fine of Rs 5,000 will be imposed for the first offence. Subsequently, a fine of Rs 100 per day will be levied, as per the BBMP's are an estimated 60,000 shops in Bengaluru, with more than half of them selling tobacco products without any regulation. The sale of tobacco products to individuals under the age of 18 or to schoolchildren is prohibited. Cigarettes must be sold in full packets, and while there are rules against selling loose beedis, these regulations are largely ignored by vendors. Additionally, shops selling tobacco products are required to display a clear sign stating, 'Smoking is harmful to health.' However, such boards are often poorly displayed, sometimes hidden in corners. Once the new trade licence system is in place, it will be mandatory to follow the regulations. Non-compliance will result in penalties, and it is expected that this will lead to a decrease in tobacco sales and a reduction in the number of shops selling tobacco the rapid growth of the city and an increasing number of young people engaging in smoking, the number of smokers is also on the rise. This is particularly concerning as it is the youth who are falling prey to this harmful habit. The increase in smoking is having serious repercussions on public health. To address this, the BBMP, in collaboration with the Bloomberg Philanthropies-supported organisation 'Partnership for Healthy Cities,' has launched the 'Smoke-Free Bengaluru' initiative. This program aims to reduce tobacco sales, lower smoking rates, and raise awareness about the health impacts of tobacco BS Triveni, the project lead for the, stated, 'By implementing a separate trade licence for tobacco sales, we can bring some level of control over the sale of these products.'
