Opening Plenary - From Pavement to Policy: Creating Cities that Breathe Health
| Tuesday, September 16, 2025 |
| 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM |
| Grand Ballroom |
Details
As urban populations grow, climate pressures intensify, and social connection corrodes, cities must evolve into engines of health, equity, and resilience. This opening plenary sets the tone for the conference by examining how urban design, governance, and public health policy can converge to create environments that actively promote wellbeing and social cohesion.
Guided by the principles of the WHO Healthy Cities framework, the session underscores the importance of embedding health into every facet of urban policymaking—from transport and housing to green infrastructure and air quality. The framework provides a globally recognised model for building healthier cities through:
• Intersectoral collaboration across government, civil society, and academia
• Community participation in shaping inclusive, health-promoting environments
• Equity and sustainability as foundational values
• Evidence-based policy to drive systemic and lasting change
In a time of global fragmentation—social, political, and environmental—cities represent both the challenges of division and the potential for reconnection. This plenary explores how visionary leadership and cross-sector collaboration can transform urban spaces into inclusive, health-enabling ecosystems that restore trust and foster unity.
Reflecting the theme of this year’s conference, Leadership and collaboration to connect a divided world, the WHO Healthy Cities initiative offers a compelling blueprint for action. In the face of climate change, rising inequality, and public health crises, cities – as the level of government closest to the people - must become platforms for resilience, innovation, and collective wellbeing.
Speakers and panellists will share their insights and experiences in applying the Healthy Cities approach to activate city leadership to build sustainable, resilient communities. Their presentations will highlight practical strategies, policy innovations, and community-led solutions that demonstrate how cities can lead the way in reconnecting a divided world.
An open discussion will follow, inviting questions and dialogue from the audience to foster shared learning and collaborative action.
Speaker
Dr Kira Fortune
Regional Advisor - Healthy Cities, Health Promotion and Well-being
World Health Organization (Euro)
Healthy Cities, Healthy Futures: Advancing Equity Through Local and Cross-Sector Action
Abstract
The presentation will offer a comprehensive overview of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network—its key functions, its critical role in promoting health equity and well-being, including through its task forces and working groups, and the upcoming launch of Phase VIII. This presentation will explore how the WHO European Healthy Cities Network supports local governments in advancing health equity and well-being through cross-sector collaboration and whole-of-society approaches. It will showcase how cities across the European region are leveraging governance, policy integration, and community engagement to promote inclusive urban development and improved health outcomes. Through concrete examples, participants will gain insight into how the Healthy Cities approach operationalizes cross-sector collaboration and translates it into tangible gains for population health and well-being.
Biography
Kira Fortune is responsible for Healthy Cities, Health Promotion and Well-being in the Regional WHO Office of Europe. Kira has spent the last 25 years specializing in public health, equity, community engagement and the social determinants of health in various international organizations across the globe. Prior to taking up the position in Copenhagen, she managed the Social Determinants of Health and Violence and Injury Prevention Unit at the Regional WHO Office of the Western Pacific, in Manila. She also spent ten years at the Pan American Health Organization/Regional Office of the World Health Organization in Washington D.C., coordinating the work on the social determinants of health, healthy cities, health-in-all policies and the sustainable development goals within the Americas. Kira has extensive experience working across the international stage from global NGOs, academia as well as with inter-governmental organizations. Before joining the World Health Organization, Kira managed The International Health Research Network in Denmark and spent four years working in the Department of Global Advocacy at The International Planned Parenthood Federation in London. Kira also worked for three years with UNICEF in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where she was responsible for the Programme on Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV. Kira holds a Doctorate in Sociology from City University London; a Master’s Degree in Anthropology, Gender and Development, and a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology from the University of London. She also has a Master’s Degree in International Health from University of Copenhagen.
Ms Kelly Andrews
CEO
Healthy Cities Australia
Healthy Cities in Australia: From Grassroots to National Imperative
Abstract
This keynote traces the history of the Healthy Cities movement in Australia, exploring its successes, fragmentation, and untapped potential. In the context of 2025’s urgent challenges—from climate resilience to health equity—it will highlight the opportunities to align national policy, harness place-based approaches, and strengthen global connections. The session will make the case for a nationally coordinated, equity-led Healthy Cities network as a critical framework for delivering healthier, more sustainable communities across Australia.
Biography
Kelly holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Human Services) from the University of South Australia, a Graduate Diploma in Health Promotion from La Trobe University, and a Master of Science (Research) from the University of Wollongong. With over 25 years of experience in health promotion, she has worked across the not-for-profit and government sectors in chronic disease prevention, community development, social and health policy, and advocacy.
Kelly also spent 15 years as a researcher in the university sector, specializing in social marketing and public health research on topics including alcohol and junk food advertising, asthma self-management, organ and blood donation, mental health, and dementia.
Currently, she is the CEO of Healthy Cities Illawarra, a regional not-for-profit charity established in 1987 as part of the World Health Organization’s Healthy Cities movement. She also serves as a Steering Committee Member of the Alliance for Healthy Cities, advocating for health equity through systemic change.
Dr Jinhee Kim
Scientia Lecturer
University of New South Wales
[Panellist]
Biography
Dr Jinhee Kim is a Scientia Lecturer at the Cities Institute, University of New South Wales. Her research focuses on understanding the complexities of urban health paradigms and their impact on human health outcomes. She applies these research findings to develop real-world transdisciplinary solutions that engage stakeholders from academic and non-academic backgrounds across various disciplines and sectors.
Prior to joining UNSW, Dr Kim worked at all levels of government, including the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the World Health Organisation, with a focus on healthy cities and health impact assessment as tools to prioritise health equity in urban policies. Dr Kim has been involved in the healthy cities movement since the formation of the Alliance for Healthy Cities, the Western Pacific Regional healthy cities network, in 2004 and has been an integral member of the healthy cities movement in Korea, bringing valuable cross-national perspectives to urban health challenges that resonate across diverse contexts including Australia. She currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Urban Health Review, a peer-reviewed journal for the Korean Academy of Urban Health, and as a member of the Academic Committee for the Alliance for Healthy Cities.
Keynote Speakers
Kelly Andrews
CEO
Healthy Cities Australia
Kira Fortune
Regional Advisor - Healthy Cities, Health Promotion and Well-being
World Health Organization (Euro)
Panellists
Jinhee Kim
Scientia Lecturer
University of New South Wales
Session Chair(s)
Catherine MacPhail
Associate Professor
University of Wollongong
Support Staff
Caroline Miller
Chief Operating Officer & Director, Health Policy Centre
SAHMRI
