Bernhard Schwartlander.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Half of world's people live in cities, giving mayors great power to make a difference

People at home and abroad can expect some bold and exciting outcomes from the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion in Shanghai, according to Bernhard Schwartlander, World Health Organization representative in China, who is also the conference spokesman.

He made the remarks in an interview with China Daily on the eve of the conference, which is to run from Monday through Thursday this week, gathering more than 1,000 leaders in politics, health and development from China and abroad.

"Leaders will take concrete action to promote health and sustainable urban development through the adoption of the Shanghai Declaration and the Shanghai Consensus on Healthy Cities at the conference," Schwartlander said.

This will involve empowering and mobilizing communities and societies across the world to promote health awareness within communities and improve the social, economic and environmental determinants of health, he said.

The conference came after the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council issued the "Healthy China 2030" plan, which recognizes a "health-in-all policies" approach to improving people's well-being.

"That, again, demonstrates the commitment to health promotion by the top leadership," said Song Shuli, spokeswoman of China's top health authority.

Schwartlander said the conference would serve as a platform for international communication, adding that it will feature a forum of more than 100 city mayors from China and around the world, focusing on how cities can promote healthily living.

Half of the world's population live in urban areas, and this figure is expected to grow to about two-thirds by 2030.