Cities matter in One Health: From Lyon to Geneva

Cities matter in One Health: From Lyon to Geneva

On 6 April, the International Forum of Local Leaders on One Health, co-convened by the City of Lyon and the World Health Organization (WHO), brought together approximately 50 mayors and senior local officials from five continents. During the forum, the Mayors of Lyon (FR) and Akonolinga (CM) shared a common initiative: the launch of the One Health Cities Alliance, an international coalition of cities committed to advancing One Health at the local level.

The Alliance builds on the EU-funded URBACT One Health 4 Cities programme, led by the City of Lyon. Over approximately 30 months, a network of nine European cities explored how to integrate One Health into local policies and projects, generating practical experience, tools and a methodological guide for local decision-makers.

The ambition is to build on these foundations and, over time, extend cooperation among cities beyond Europe by enabling cities from different regions to exchange experience, learn from one another and explore practical responses to shared challenges.

From Lyon to Geneva, two cities committed to health at the local level and open to the world, the conversation on cities and One Health now continues.

The Geneva meeting will be the first mobilization opportunity since the Alliance’s launch in Lyon, bringing together the Mayors of Lyon and Geneva, local stakeholders and interested international partners. Taking place on the occasion of the Geneva Health Forum Conference 2026, the event will help sustain the momentum generated in Lyon and initiate a dialogue on future priorities and opportunities for collaboration. The meeting also echoes One Health Day, celebrated worldwide on 3 November, and is part of this global moment of mobilization, bringing the voice of cities into it.

Building on the confirmed participation of the Mayors of Lyon and Geneva, the meeting will connect municipal experience with the expertise of international organizations, NGOs and potential partners based in International Geneva. It will reinforce a key message: cities are not only implementers of global health commitments, but essential partners in shaping them.

Speakers

• Christina Kitsos, Mayor of Geneva 
• Grégory Doucet, Mayor of Lyon 
• H.E. Mr Aboubacar Sadikh Barry, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations Office at Geneva (TBC)
• Barbara Schedler Fischer, Global Health Ambassador, OFSP, Switzerland (TBC)
• Taraneh Shojaei, WHO 
• Rafael Ruiz de Castaneda, Geneva Health Forum
• Miguel Chollet, University of Geneva / Climate Action Accelerator
• Fithriyyah Oskandar, Children and Youth Major Group to UNEP (CYMG)

Registration

Please register for the event here.