IUHPE BUILDS BRIDGES BETWEEN HEALTH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTHealth Promotion: Health, Equity and Sustainable Development was the theme of the 20th International Union of Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) World Conference, held in Geneva on 11–15 July, 2010. Focusing on health and sustainable development, the conference was designed to showcase best practice and initiate alliances and partnerships. Cross-cutting issues, multidisciplinary exchangeOrganized by the IUHPE and Health Promotion Switzerland, the conference brought together 1,800 participants including health promotion professionals, researchers, students, and decision- and policy-makers. Through a variety of formats, the conference explored the health effects of globalization, increasing environmental risks, eroding social solidarity, and increasing social inequalities within and across countries. The economic and social consequences of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) featured prominently in the conference content. Healthy Kids, Healthy Future: World Heart Federation workshopAt the conference, the World Heart Federation organized a ninety-minute workshop which examined the challenges of promoting healthy diet and physical activity among children and youth in developing and middle-income countries. Facilitated by World Heart Federation members and partners, who had been involved in a pre-conference workshop on the same subject, the workshop explored how (or whether) evidence and best practice developed in wealthy countries could be applied in low-resource settings. The workshop at IUHPE summarized conclusions of a two-day workshop organized by World Heart Federation just prior to the conference as a part of the Kids on the Move project. Feeding off football fever: Eat for GoalsA big attraction at the conference was the World Cup final, which was shown on a large screen at the venue. The World Heart Federation played on the interest in football by promoting Eat for Goals, a cookbook developed in partnership with UEFA. The book, which uses football players to promote healthy eating and cooking, was well appreciated by the health promotion community and drew crowds to the World Heart Federation’s booth, which was managed by members who had participated in the pre-conference workshop. “The World Heart Federation booth was a place to call ours,” said Radhika Shrivastav of HRIDAY (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth), “where we could talk with colleagues from other countries between sessions and network. One man was confused about where it was based, because every time he came by, someone from a different country was in charge at the booth!” More than PowerPointsUsing a creative approach, the conference integrated an array of activities to help promote participants’ health and foster inclusive dialogue. Bola Ojo, Executive Secretary of the African Heart Network, voiced the feeling shared by many participants in all sorts of international conferences, that there is still too much focus on one-way communication of research results, and too little on experience from the field: “There is much we can learn from each other - if only we foster an environment of reflection and dialogue.” IUHPEAiming to promote global health and well-being and to contribute to the achievement of equity in health, the IUHPE is an independent, global, professional network of people and institutions. It conducts collaborative projects at global and regional levels. Members range from government bodies, to universities and institutes, to NGOs and individuals across all continents. Further informationA short blog about the conference, written by Bola Ojo > View the webcast featuring Bola Ojo providing feedback from the reflection session at IUHPE > | |||||||
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