IFEZ Journal

World Health City Forum for Future Smart Healthy Cities

The 1st World Health City Forum (WHCF) will be held over the course of three days from November 20 to 22. 

Under the theme of “Globalization of Risk: How to Make the World Safer,” this forum will discuss the sustainable development of future cities and countries.

World Health City Forum organizing committee

Let’s Discuss the Realization of a Healthy Future City

Recent trends worldwide, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate catastrophe, low birth rates, and super-aging population, threaten people’s safety, health, and sustainability. These crises call for safer and healthier environments for individuals, societies, cities, and countries. To respond to these problems, Incheon, an emerging world-class city, and IFEZ planned the WHCF to seek joint responses and solutions to the global health crisis. This forum will discuss ways to realize a sustainable and healthy future city. In February this year, Incheon and IFEZ formed an organizing committee for holding the forum. The organizing committee appointed Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok (Events), Seoul National University President Ryu Hong Lim (Health and Medical), Yonsei University President Suh Seoung-hwan (City), and Ewha Womans University President Kim Eun-mee (Sustainability) as the Chief Organizing Committee for each division. The committee also invited IFEZ Commissioner Kim Jin-yong, Seoul National University Hospital Professor Kim Young-tae, Ewha Womans University Chair Professor Choe Jae-cheon, and former National Medical Center Director An Myeong-ok as organizing members. They discussed how to manage a thriving forum and, at a press conference in July, officially announced Songdo Convensia as the site for hosting the event in November.

1st World Health City Forum

Period November 20-22, On/Offline

Place Songdo Convensia

Subject Globalization of Risk: How to Make the World Safer

Hosted by Ministry of Health and Welfare, Incheon Metropolitan City Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Ewha Womans University

Homepage  www.worldhealthcityforum.org

Spectacular Speakers and Informative Discussion Sessions

WHCF has different sectors, including health care, smart city, and sustainability. The forum will serve as a venue for various domestic and foreign experts to share the latest information. Furthermore, it will provide expert roundtable discussions to explore comprehensive convergence and collaboration between disciplines and sectors to lead smart healthy cities.

In keynote speeches, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (WHO Director-General), Jeremy Rifkin (American economic and social theorist, US), Jacques Attali (French economic and social theorist, France), and Ichiro Kawachi (professor, Harvard School of Public Health) will examine the current state and future of global health care. The various agendas related to the worldwide health crisis will also include discussions on overcoming pandemics with digital and biotechnology, building communities in preparation for disasters, and designing communities for public health. The forum expects these activities to lead to dynamic solutions in response to current global crises.

Kim Jin-yong, commissioner of IFEZ, said, “I am delighted to be holding the 1st WHCF in Songdo, Incheon, which is emerging as a global bio hub.”