News corner

• New WKC Publication: “Inequalities in noncommunicable disease mortality in the ten largest Japanese cities”
  June 2013 -- A new publication prepared by the WHO Kobe Centre, “Inequalities in noncommunicable disease mortality in the ten largest Japanese cities”, was published by the Journal of Urban Health.
• 8th Global Conference on Health Promotion (8GCHP)
  10-14 June 2013, Helsinki, Finland
  The 8th Global Conference on Health Promotion (8GCHP) was held in Helsinki, Finland, from 10 to 14 June 2013. The Conference has convened every few years since it was first organized in Ottawa, Canada in 1986, and it is the key event to advance the health promotion field, and presents an important opportunity for the WHO Kobe Centre (WKC) to share its work in urban health and intersectoral action for health.
• World No Tobacco Day, 31 May 2013
  – Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
  Every year, on 31 May, WHO and partners everywhere mark World No Tobacco Day, highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption. Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death globally and is currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults worldwide. The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2013 is: ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
• Implementation of Urban HEART
  7 May 2013 -- With the cooperation of respective authorities in Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kenya, Mongolia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, an independent evaluation on the process of piloting Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool (Urban HEART) was conducted for 15 cities in 2011–2012. The evaluation will also provide important lessons for WHO to better support cities in implementing Urban HEART.
• Visit of Dalian City Officials to WHO Kobe Centre
  25–26 April 2013
  In collaboration with the Government of Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Japan International Cooperation of Welfare Services and WHO Country Office in the People’s Republic of China, WHO Kobe Centre received the fellowship visit of four officials from Dalian City, China on 25-26 April 2013.
• WKC Forum “Control your blood pressure: for your healthy life” in commemoration of the World Health Day
  7 April 2013 -- In commemoration of this year's World Health Day, the WHO Centre for Health Development (WHO Kobe Centre - WKC) organized a forum “Control your blood pressure: for your healthy life” in Kobe. More than 40 participants came to the WKC forum from the general public and local governments to learn the risks of and to know how to prevent and control high blood pressure.
• WHO Kobe Centre Offered the Leadership Training Course for Urban Emergencies
  24 February 2013
  WHO Kobe Centre pilot tested its newly developed training course for city health emergency managers last 24 February at the Kobe City Emergency Operations Centre. There were 20 participants from Hyogo Prefecture who attended the training course entitled: City Leadership in Health Innovations and Technologies in Emergencies otherwise known as City LHITE.
• Consultation on Advancing Technological Innovation for Older Populations in Asia
  Kobe, Japan
  20-21 February 2013
  WHO Centre for Health Development in Kobe hosted the first Consultation on Advancing Technological Innovations for Older Populations in Asia. This meeting is paving the way for further consultation, normative work and scientific research to improve knowledge as well as service delivery of health related devices for elderly in Asia and all over the World.
• Former Director-General of WHO dies -- health contributions remembered
  Dr Hiroshi Nakajima, former Director-General of WHO, died Saturday, 26 January, in Poitiers, France, after a short illness. He was 84. Following a career of research in neuropharmacology, Dr Nakajima joined WHO in 1974, where he helped develop the concept of essential medicines. He served as Director of the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific from 1978 to 1988, and as the Organization's fourth Director-General, from 1988 to 1998.
• WKC Forum
  International Health Emergencies
  18 January 2013 -- In conjunction with the 18th Annual Meeting of Japanese Association for Disaster Medicine, WHO Kobe Centre organized an open forum on international health emergencies in Kobe.
• Parañaque City’s Urban HEART receives AFHC 2012 Award for Health Equity
  20 November 2012 -- The Tokyo-based Alliance for Healthy Cities (AFHC) organization awarded Parañaque City (Philippines) the 2012 AFHC Award for Creative Developments in a City Category on Health Equity on the merits of Parañaque City’s implementation of Urban HEART (Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool).
• Walking to school in Japan and childhood obesity prevention: new lessons from an old policy
  1 November 2012 -- The Urban Health Governance (UHG) team of the WHO Kobe Centre has just published an article by the American Journal of Public Health, on Japan’s “walking to school practice” in relation to childhood obesity prevention.
• WKC course on “Health in All Policies and Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs)” held at the 5th Alliance for Healthy Cities Global Conference in Brisbane, Australia
  24 October 2012 -- The Alliance for Healthy Cities Global Conference is held every second year. This year the conference focused on “Healthy Urbanisation: Healthy People – Healthy Communities”. During the conference, WHO Kobe Centre (WKC) held a 4-hour short course on “Health in All Policies and Noncommunicable Diseases” on 24 October.
• Mental Health Day
  10 October 2012 -- 10 October is World Mental Health Day. World Mental Health Day raises public awareness about mental health issues. The day promotes open discussion of mental disorders, and investments in prevention, promotion and treatment services. This year the theme for the day is “Depression: A Global Crisis”.
• WKC networking event on “Empowering the Future of Cities” held at the 6th World Urban Forum in Naples, Italy
  3 September 2012 -- WHO Kobe Centre (WKC) held a networking event on “Empowering the Future of Cities: Addressing urban health and health equity through intersectoral action”, at the 6th World Urban Forum in Naples, Italy. This was one of the few events dedicated specifically to discussing health issues.
• Assessing the impact of the ordinance banning smoking on selected streets in Kobe City, Hyogo, Japan
  17 August 2012 -- The WHO Kobe Centre is currently conducting a survey to assess impacts of the municipal street smoking ban ordinance in Kobe city in collaboration with Kobe Pharmaceutical University.
• Impact assessment: bringing sectors together to act on health
  22 June 2012 -- The UN General Assembly adopted the Political Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) in 2011 and pledged to promote action through multisectoral action for health (MSA). On 20-22 June 2012, international experts, policy makers and academics gathered at the WHO Centre for Health Development in Kobe to examine tools that will assist policy makers to promote and sustain MSA.
• "Stop tobacco industry interference"
  – WHO Kobe Centre marked World No Tobacco Day with an open forum
  31 May 2012 -- WHO Kobe Centre (WKC) held in Kobe a public health forum in commemoration of World No Tobacco Day 2012: Stop tobacco industry interference. More than 60 participants came from academia, local governments and civil society groups to exchange their views and share ideas on tobacco industry interference on tobacco control policy in Japan.
• WKC Forum on Kaigo yobo interventions: the state of the art and future challenges in Japan
  21 March 2012 -- WHO Kobe Centre (WKC) held a public health forum on "kaigo yobo interventions: the state of the art and future challenges in Japan" in Kobe. Hyogo Women’s Exchange Hall in Kobe City, where more than 60 participants discussed their experiences of kaigo yobo.
• 15th World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH)
  20 March 2012 -- WHO Kobe Centre (WKC) held a pre-conference workshop, “Making your city smoke-free - 12 steps to an effective smoke-free legislation”, at the 15th World Conference on Tobacco or Health 2012 in Singapore. The workshop was especially targeted at city-level policy-makers and tobacco control advocates.
• WHO participates in UNEP Seminar on Tohoku Tsunami Debris Management
  7 March 2012 -- The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) held a seminar on the “Management of Debris Created by the Tohoku Tsunami” on 6 March at the UNEP International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) in Osaka.
• Safe Health Facilities and Preparedness for Mass Casualties
  27 February 2012 -- Sunday, 19 February 2012 marked the second time that the WHO Kobe Centre (WKC) and the University of Hyogo, Research Institute of Nursing Care for People and Community (RINCPC) organized a public health event at Akashi City. The first time was for a WKC Forum entitled “Strengthening disaster resilience: individual, group and community” held on 20 November 2011.
• Harnessing community participation on urban health
  15 February 2012 -- “What I gathered while listening intently on WHO Kobe Centre’s (WKC) orientation of its pillars was the prime importance of harnessing and supporting community participation with government support, especially in the urban context where I think the sense of community spirit is affected by the urban infrastructure”, expressed Dr Hirofumi Ando , the President of the Asian Urban Information Center of Kobe (AUICK).
• WHO Executive Board closes with Japan resolution on ageing
  24 January 2012 -- Starting a year-long special focus on ageing and health, the Executive Board adopted a resolution calling for countries to promote ‘active ageing’ and establish measures that encourage healthy living throughout the many stages of life.
• Living a culture of disaster resilience at all levels
  21 November 2011 -- “Building, strengthening and enriching the resilience of nations, cities and communities to disasters is every citizen, family and community’s responsibility” – was the message which resonated on the occasion of the Joint WHO Kobe Centre (WKC) and University of Hyogo Forum held on 20 November 2011 at the University of Hyogo, Akashi City, Japan.
• Breast cancer: the advantage of early detection
  5 October 2011 -- Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer in women both in developed and developing countries and is also the main cause of cancer for women in Japan.
• Graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging on the increase
  7 July 2011 -- Over one billion people in 19 countries are now covered by laws requiring large, graphic health warnings on packages of tobacco, nearly double the number of two years ago.
• Concert part of final push to end polio
  23 June 2011 -- The "End Polio Now" Charity Concert by Rotary International District 2680 was held at the Hyogo House on 19 June.
• "Separate smoking areas in no way control smoke adequately" - head of tobacco control society
  15 June 2011 -- WHO Kobe Centre presented its research on Smoke Free Cities at a public lecture in Sanda City, Hyogo entitled “I Love Clean Air – preventing secondhand smoke” on Saturday, 11 June.
• Symposium highlights issue of indoor smoking bans in Japan
  6 June 2011 -- Physician and tobacco control advocate Dr Junpaku Miyamoto called for “simple and clear” measures to provide people with full protection from exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) in Japan, at a public forum, “WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)”, on 4 June.
• Total smoking ban at Kobe City Government Offices
  31 May 2011 -- As of 31 May, World No Tobacco Day, Kobe Municipal Government implemented a total smoking ban in all spaces of the city’s main and ward offices.
• Historical agreements at the Sixty-fourth World Health Assembly
  24 May 2011 -- In her closing address Director-General Dr Margaret Chan praised delegates for consensus on issues that profoundly affect public health.
• WHO launches one-stop shop for health data in cities
  16 May 2011 -- With urbanization as a leading trend in health issues over the next decade and beyond, the WHO has launched the first-ever global access to urban health data.
• Saving 5 million lives on our streets and highways by 2020
  10 May 2011 -- Road traffic injuries are now the number one cause of death globally for young people aged 15-29.
• New WHO report: deaths from noncommunicable diseases on the rise
  3 May 2011 -- Noncommunicable diseases are the leading killer today and are on the increase, the first WHO Global status report on noncommunicable diseases launched on 27 April confirms.