Open the Streets and Get Moving on April 11th, 2010
What is it?
1000 Cities 1000 Lives is the World Health Organization’s World Health Day campaign for 2010. It calls on 1000 cities around the world to open their streets to people and close them to cars the week of April 7th - 11th, 2010. 8-80 Cities is pleased to partner with the World Health Organization on this exciting and important endeavour to make cities around the world healthier.
Why is it a good idea?
Car Free Sundays are a magnificent program, demonstrated in cities of all sizes and income levels that get people of all ages, genders, levels of ability, to become physically active. It is fun, exciting, and provides a wonderful cost / benefit result. There is no need to invest in expensive capital projects that require building stadiums, coliseums or arenas; here the streets already exist and all it takes is the political decision and the community engagement to create a magical experience. April 7th - 11th is the time to begin, (or to announce the summer program in cities with extremely cold weather in April), but this is NOT just about this ONE DAY, it is the trigger to begin an on-going program that makes your city a happier, healthier place.
Why sign up?
Car Free Sundays are a way for cities to provide their citizens with the ability to enjoy exercise, be outdoors with friends and neighbours, and experience their city in a whole new way. In a time when a lack of physical activity is contributing to rising obesity levels, heart disease, depression, anxiety and whole host of other health challenges, Car Free Sundays are a way to help fight these problems on a global scale.
Be a leader, be heard.
The health challenges we face can be overcome, but often it takes local champions to turn ideas into action. The World Health Organization is looking for 1000 stories from local champions who helped make the Car Free Sunday event happen in their community.
Get started today.
It doesn’t matter if your city has a population of 1,000 or 10 million, we encourage all cities to sign up and be part of this global event.
Visit www.who.int/whd2010 for more details and sign up your city for World Health Day activities for the week of April 7th - 11th, 2010.
You can also go to the interactive site http://1000cities.who.int where you can view and upload pictures, videos, and participate in discussions about Car Free Days and the 1000 Cities 1000 Lives campaign.
Previous World Health Days
World Health Day 2009
Save lives. Make hospitals safe in emergencies
World Health Day 2009 focuses on the resilience and safety of health facilities and the health workers who treat those affected by emergencies. Events around the world will highlight successes, advocate for safe facility design and construction, and build momentum for widespread emergency preparedness.
World Health Day 2008
Protecting health from climate change
In 2008, World Health Day focused on the need to protect health from the adverse effects of climate change. The health impacts of climate change are already evident in different ways. These impacts will be disproportionately greater in vulnerable populations, which include the very young, elderly, medically infirm, poor and isolated populations.
World Health Day 2007
International health security
The theme for World Health Day 2007 was international health security, which is the first line of defence against public health emergencies that can devastate people, societies and economies worldwide. The aim was to urge governments, organizations and businesses to "invest in health, build a safer future".
World Health Day 2006
Working together for health
In 2006, World Health Day was devoted to the health workforce crisis. Around the world, there is a chronic shortage of health workers as a result of decades of underinvestment in their education, training, salaries, working environment and management. This is a crisis from which no country is entirely immune.
