Now the political choice for health has to be addressed at every level of government.īut having health “high on the political agenda” is not without its risks and challenges, as anything that is political will be. In Shanghai it was evident that the aspiration voiced at Ottawa to “put health high on the political agenda” had taken significant strides forward. This was different from many previous health promotion conferences which were mainly focused on achieving a consensus between conference participants. These formal outcomes from the Conference were developed through a process leading up to the conference, including broad on-line consultations, advisory meetings and consultations with member states. HEALTH PROMOTION IS ON THE POLITICAL AGENDA The Shanghai Consensus on Healthy Cities (WHO 2016b) is an equally powerful statement of intent that clearly identifies the role of cities in delivering practical, local actions to address the SDGs and through such action, address the social determinants of health. But the Declaration is unambiguous in its description of the tough political choices faced by decision makers and advocates unashamedly for health in the face of other interests. Inevitably, such a document is bound by some of the checks and balances of political consensus building.
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At the core of the Declaration are clear statements advocating improved governance for health at all levels the development of Healthy Cities that are inclusive, safe and resilient for the whole population and the importance of health literacy that empowers individual citizens and enables their engagement in collective health promotion action. The Shanghai Declaration on promoting health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (WHO, 2016a) makes clear the continuing relevance of health promotion. The two Declarations adopted in Shanghai provide a road map for countries to act on the SDGs in a transformative way. There was a real sense from the Shanghai Conference that the contemporary challenge and opportunity is to convert the Ottawa health promotion action areas into modern tools and methods that will contribute towards the achievement of the SDGs. World leaders have committed to leave no one behind. This Agenda sees eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions as the greatest global challenge, and identifies “ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages” as one of the most important indicators of progress on our collective journey during the next 15 years. The Director General of the WHO Margaret Chan - and many other high level speakers – made clear that the SDGs provide a unique opportunity for addressing health and its many determinants in an integrated and transformative way.
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Critical actions proposed for member states at the national level will need to be complemented with a localized implementation agenda spearheaded by cities and a strong joint global purpose, led at the United Nations through the SDGs. The actions required to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set the direction, tone and aspirations for the meeting.
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The Conference centrally positioned health promotion within the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN 2015). The Shanghai Conference could prove to be another watershed for public health action if the ideas and commitments developed at the Conference are taken forward and acted upon meaningfully.
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The Ottawa Charter brought about a genuine paradigm shift in thinking about how to improve public health. It was held almost exactly 30 years after the first Global Conference in Ottawa, Canada that produced the Ottawa Charter (WHO 1986). The 9 th WHO Global Conference on Health Promotion - held in Shanghai, China in November 2016 - was extraordinary.