In today’s urbanised world, cities play a significant role in influencing the health and well-being of their residents. Leadership and governance at this level are crucial and city officials are able to make a substantial difference in promoting healthy lifestyles. But does it stop there? Are city leaders able to have an influence on the processes of global health and make a difference outside of their city limits? Proponents of city health diplomacy certainly believe so.

City health diplomacy is an emerging concept concerning areas where city leaders can have an influence on global developments relating to health and sustainable development, in addition to having direct responsibilities for the health and wellbeing of local residents. Global health is characterised by a multiplicity of stakeholders, and states are no longer the only diplomatic actors on the international stage. Cities are engaging informally and formally in global processes and city health diplomacy will become increasingly important for this multilateral and multistakeholder engagement.

At the global level, the Healthy Cities movement is into its 25th year of bringing together local officials from around the world who are dedicated to promoting innovative practices to improve health in cities. Regionally, the WHO European Healthy Cities Network consists of nearly 100 cities and towns from 30 countries within the WHO European Region that are committed to health and sustainable development.

The Healthy City Conference, hosted this year in Athens, Greece, met in the belief that “People living in healthy, inclusive, creative and sustainable cities are healthier, safe, more productive and resilient.” From October 22-25, 2014, participants from over fifty countries, including city officials, World Health Organization representatives, and health experts, met to discuss a wide range of themes dedicated to making cities healthier places to live and to reaffirm their commitment to the project and its strategic goals. Moreover, they were participants in this budding concept of city health diplomacy – local and international actors engaging on a multilateral level to simultaneously learn from best practices and to influence global health processes through their interaction.

The conference devoted a plenary session to the view that “Mayors Can Make a Difference” where Michele Acuto, Director of the City Leadership Initiative at University College London delivered a keynote presentation on “The power of city diplomacy” and Professor Ilona Kickbusch, Director of the Global Health Programme gave a keynote address on “Food for thought: emerging roles of cities in the 21st century.” This was followed by a roundtable panel discussion on city health diplomacy dedicated to furthering this evolving concept in global health.

The next Healthy Cities conference will be held in 2015 in the City of Kuopio, Finland. More information can be found on the conference website, including a video  of the conference highlights.