Partnership for Healthy Cities is a network of global cities that is committed to preventing non-communicable diseases, such as cancer and diabetes, by influencing people's lifestyles and environments. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the global health organization Vital Strategies, the network currently has over 70 member cities. Helsinki has been a part of the network since 2019.
In addition to participating in the summit, the Helsinki Mayor's itinerary includes a panel discussion among mayors from several of the network’s cities. The programme also includes an invitation-only reception hosted by the Mayor of Paris and numerous meetings with the leadership of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Foundation and various city representatives.
Funding and expertise for two projects in Helsinki
The City of Helsinki has received support for two projects through the network. The aim of the "Safe and active mobility" project, which took place in 2020–2021, was to promote safe and active school journeys for children. The project developed and piloted a model at the Suutarinkylä Comprehensive School that emphasizes the impact of the built environment on the attractiveness of walking and cycling. After the pilot, the lessons learned from the project have also been put into practice in other schools.
In 2023–2025, the City of Helsinki, together with the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), implemented the PUHTI project, which aims to improve the monitoring of non-communicable diseases and explore the possibilities for utilizing new data sources in the work of promoting health and wellbeing. The project has helped to better understand the health disparities of city residents between different postal code areas.
Supported by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Foundation, the Partnership for Healthy Cities includes over 70 cities worldwide. In addition to Helsinki, other European cities in the network include London and Barcelona.
The 2025 Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit takes place in Paris on 18–21 March.
