5th October, 2009
Nairobi, Kenya - An international conference to discuss health challenges in urban areas around the world will take place in Nairobi, Kenya on October 18-23, 2009. The purpose of the conference is to mobilise and energise government officials and political leaders, programme implementers, researchers and communities to address the effects of urbanisation and urban environments on the health of urban residents.
The 2009 International Conference on Urban Health (ICUH), whose theme is Meeting Urban Health Needs through Innovative Research, Policies and Interventions, is being organised by the International Society for Urban Health (ISUH) in partnership with the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) and the Government of the Republic of Kenya, through the Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030 (www.icuh2009.org).
ISUH President Dr Jean Christophe Fotso says the conference “will provide an important forum where government officials responsible for urban planning and provision of services will deliberate with researchers and other players on innovative ways, in terms of policies and programmes, to address the numerous health challenges that the ever-growing population of urban residents face”.
A key aspect of the conference will be a one-day Urban Health Champions Forum scheduled for Monday October 19 and targeted at mayors, health ministers, field operatives and other urban health champions from low- and middle-income countries and a few cities in developed countries. The Forum will build on the resolutions and commitments arrived at during past forums as well as begin a new conversation, engaging policymakers, researchers and practitioners in forging new partnerships for the growing challenge of urban health.
Another innovation of the Nairobi Conference is the Community Voices Forum, which will focus on community perspectives on urban health. The meeting will take place on Sunday October 18, from 2pm to 5pm, and will be open to the public. Items on the agenda include displays of activities, methods, programmes, innovations, plays, dance, crafts and poetry in responding to health challenges in urban poor communities in Nairobi.
While underlining the important role of the conference, Dr David Vlahov, the Founding President of the ISUH, notes that: “The major population health themes for the 21st century are urbanisation, globalisation and climate change. Cities are at the source of and are the most affected by all three. Coordinated efforts of science, government and civil society are needed to identify and tackle these complex problems, all of which impact on health. The International Conference on Urban Health, with the Community Voices, Urban Health Champions, Scientific Sessions and Workshops provides a forum to advance this agenda."
Dr Boniface K’Oyugi, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development (NCAPD), the government agency under the Ministry of Planning that is co-hosting the conference, is upbeat that the conference will benefit Kenya immensely. He says: “In addition to addressing health, Kenyans will get an opportunity to share good practices in urban management with managers of other global cities”.
According to Dr Alex Ezeh, the Executive Director of APHRC, the conference could not have come at a better time in Africa because “the continent is urbanising very fast and at a time when local economies are not performing well. The result is that many Africans moving to urban areas are unable to find employment and they end up living in deplorable conditions in slums”. He adds: “This conference will focus on the health challenges that such urban residents across the world face and discuss practical ways of responding to the challenges.”
Dr Fotso says that “the success of the conference will be judged not only by the quality of scientific papers or how many people attended, but even more importantly by how much progress will be made in addressing urban health issues in the next few years as a result of presentations, discussions, and networks forged at the conference”.
The 2009 ICUH, which will be the first to take place out of North America and Europe, will bring together about 1,000 multidisciplinary scientists, practitioners, development partners and various national and regional senior policymakers in health, population, finance and planning. The annual ICUH meetings provide an international forum for knowledge exchange among urban health stakeholders, with the ultimate goal of mobilising and energising like-minded professionals to address the effects of urbanisation and urban environments on the health of urban populations.
About the Conference Organisers
International Society on Urban Health (ISUH)
ISUH (www.isuh.org) is an association of researchers, scholars, and professionals from various disciplines and areas of the world who study the health effects of urban environments and urbanisation. Membership in ISUH is open to anyone who is interested in the health of urban populations. The goals of ISUH are to encourage research, interventions, and programme evaluations that lead to healthier cities in the 21st century.
The National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development (NCAPD), Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030, Government of Kenya
NCAPD (http://www.ncapd-ke.org/) was established in October 2004 through legal Notice No. 120 contained in the Kenya Gazette supplement No. 68 dated October 20, 2004. This Organisation is a Semi Autonomous Government Agency under the Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030. Prior to this, NCAPD was known as the National Council for Population and Development (NCPD).
The African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC)
APHRC (www.aphrc.org) is a non-profit, non-governmental, international organisation that is committed to conducting policy-relevant research on population, health and education in sub-Saharan Africa. The Centre also facilitates the use of research evidence in policy and practice, in addition to strengthening the research capacity of African scholars and institutions to enhance skills in generating credible scientific evidence.
Visit conference website at www.icuh2009.org for further details on conference
