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Category: News

Michael R. Bloomberg reappointed as WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, launched a new report calling on global leaders to take urgent action on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), responsible for 17 million premature deaths every year. Fighting NCDs is of primary importance for local and regional governments due to their significant effect on urban population. Michael R. Bloomberg was reappointed …

Negotiations on the agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response continue

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) held its 2nd meeting in Geneva. Members agreed that a new international instrument on pandemic prevention should be legally binding. The INB is aiming to ensure better preparedness and a more …

Urban resilience is essential in the context of armed violence

On 29 June 2022, the city of Rio de Janeiro, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Geneva Cities Hub (GCH) co-organized a “Voices from Cities” event in the framework of the 11th World Urban Forum held in Katowice, Poland (26-30 June 2022). The event focused on the concept of urban resilience …

Tackling urban health challenges in a changing world

Urban health is a multidimensional topic related to air, environment, climate change, prevention, preparedness and response to pandemics, housing, sanitation, the use and control of drugs and many other issues. As the main UN agency dealing with urban sustainable development, UN-Habitat, together with WHO, UNECE, the Drug Policy Commission, selected municipalities and governments, as well …

Responsibly governing data and involving people are key for local and regional governments to make smart cities a success

On 24 June 2022, the GCH, the Geneva Human Rights Platform, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, the University of St. Gallen and Universidad Austral de Chile co-hosted a workshop on “Smart Cities and Human Rights – Pitfalls and Opportunities” with the participation of relevant stakeholders. The New Urban Agenda calls for the adoption …

Mayors tell us about good urban governance for health and well-being

The Geneva Cities Hub partnered with WHO to organize the 2nd meeting of mayors on good urban governance for health and well-being with the participation of mayors from Bogota/Kennedy-Colombia, Cienfuegos-Cuba, Douala III-Cameroon, Managua-Nicaragua and Tunis-Tunisia in Geneva on 15-16 June 2022. The objective was to enable mayors to discuss lessons learnt and exchange experiences about …

Cities are actors of solidarity and support in the Ukrainian crisis

On 9 June 2022, the Geneva Cities Hub organized an informal humanitarian briefing on Ukraine for cities, in partnership with Metropolis. Anh Thu Duong Co-Director, GCH, recalled that the objective was to brief municipal authorities willing to provide assistance in Ukraine about the current humanitarian situation and needs and to ensure that their municipal support …

Geneva Cities Hub takes part in WSIS High-Level Week

On 2 June 2022, the Geneva Cities Hub will participate in a visionary High-Level Dialogue: WSIS +20 – WSIS Beyond 2025. Kamelia Kemileva, Co-Director, Geneva Cities Hub, will refer to UNGA resolution 70/125, requesting that the review of the implementation of the outcomes of the WSIS in 2025 involves the input and participation of all …

UNHCR can help cities get more resilient to future refugee movements

On 1st June 2022, Mr. Sami Kanaan, Deputy Mayor, City of Geneva and President of the Geneva Cities Hub, was invited to speak at a training session for UNHCR leaders worldwide. The objective of the session was to discuss ways and means for UNHCR leaders to better engage with cities and Mayors in their respective …