Shanghai will host the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion from Nov 21 to 24. Officials, experts and industry insiders shared their insights on China’s efforts to promote the development of health and global cooperation in this area.

“In addition to the burgeoning development of health promotion efforts within the country, China also actively participates in international communications, hoping to provide a Chinese solution to the global issue of health. Hosting the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion is a major honor, showing that the Healthy China 2030 strategy is connecting with the world. As the highest-level conference in the field of health promotion, it shows a tight connection between China’s efforts in this field and the global undertaking of sanitation, with Shanghai having been chosen to host the conference on its 30th anniversary.”

--Mao Qun’an, publicity chief for the National Health and Family Planning Commission, and spokesman of the conference

“This is a global gala in the field of promoting public sanitation and health. We will do our best to provide services for the representatives. Meanwhile, with this golden opportunity, we will present China’s wisdom and the spectacle of Shanghai, as well as share global experiences. Through such actions, we will endeavor to implement the Healthy China 2030 plan and improve the health of ordinary people.”

--Wu Jinglei, head of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning, and spokesman of the conference

“My passion has always been helping people to be healthy. I’m especially looking forward to the International Mayors Forum on Healthy Cities, which will include more than 100 mayors from China and around the world discussing policies on how to make cities healthier. The importance of healthy cities is a matter of simple math. More than 1 billion people in this region live in urban areas. That’s more than half of the population. If you care about people, you have to care about healthy cities.”

--Shin Young-Soo, regional director of WHO Western Pacific Region

“Responding to the increasing burden of chronic diseases, an aging population and an inefficient health system, China is implementing the Healthy China 2030 plan to significantly improve the health of its population. China looks forward to learning from international best practices as well as sharing with the world its innovations and lessons. The Shanghai Declaration, the drafting process of which I had the honor to participate in, will call for more efforts on social mobilization, health literacy, good governance and healthy cities. The conference is expected to foster new collaboration and revitalize the global movement for health promotion as well as achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”

--Liu Yuanli, dean of Peking Union School of Public Health at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

“We are excited to see China host the conference, as it demonstrates once again China’s commitment to global health and development. The theme of this year’s conference is empowering individuals, communities and societies to take charge of their own health and quality of life, an area in which China has a great deal of experience to share with the rest of the world, having played a crucial role in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. We at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation look forward to continuing to work closely with partners across the private and public sector in China, who can facilitate and catalyze positive changes in other developing countries that could benefit from China’s experience and growing capacity for innovation and low-cost manufacturing.”

--Li Yinuo, director of the China office at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation