INTERNATIONAL WORLD HEALTHY CITY AWARD 2017 WON BY KUNMING CITY, YUNNAN PROVINCE, CHINA

The International Self-Care Foundation’s World Healthy City Award is designed to focus attention on, and provide examples of, how city authorities can encourage self-care and healthy lifestyles at the community level in their cities. In July 2017 the ISF Healthy City Award was awarded to Kunming City for progress and achievements in developing a living environment supportive of self-care and healthy lifestyles.

In the opinion of the ISF survey team, Kunming is a worthy winner of this award. The team particularly noted:

• The clear strategic vision and prioritisation of health shown in the ‘Kunming Health Development Plan (2016 – 2025)’, with its 6 centres of focus.
• The focus on developing the “green” environment through the planting of millions of trees and the construction of parks. We noted in particular the creation of 11 health theme parks and the use of small areas as mini-parks and corner-parks.
• The priority for improving sanitation systems and the water quality in the Dianchi Lake system. Further progress is needed, but it is important to acknowledge that great improvements have now been made, and that further improvements are underway.
• The priority given to physical activity in schools, in parks and in the city squares. Physical exercise is essential and highly beneficial to health and we noted the strong public health promotion of exercise in line with Ministry of Health and WHO guidelines.
• The development and promotion of health screening, the family doctor signing service, the healthy cells project and various innovations designed to provide grass root-level support and promotion of healthy lifestyles.
• The team also particularly noted the focus on health industry development, creating Kunming as a national health industry zone. The historical strength of Kunming as a horticultural city are a strong foundation for further developing herbal and Traditional Chinese Medicines and a great base for a national planning herbal museum.

Many other details positive for encouraging the healthy lifestyles of citizens were noted. On behalf of the International Self-Care Foundation, ISF President David Webber was delighted to present the 2017 ISF World Healthy City Award to Kunming City Deputy Mayor Li Maozhong (pictured).