Rijeka – Healthy City

The Healthy Cities networks are established in all six regions of the World Health Organisation, and therefore also in the European Region. Over 1200 cities and towns from more than 30 countries in the WHO European Region are linked through national, regional, and other networks, while more advanced cities also through the WHO Healthy Cities Network. The general objective of this global movement is to support and commit local governments to be active in health development.

City of Rijeka in the WHO European Healthy Cities Network

Since 1998, the City of Rijeka has been included in the WHO European Healthy Cities Network, where together with other European cities it has been undergoing various project phases, the focus of which is health and all that health implies.

On 30 November 1998, having fulfilled all the requirements, Rijeka joined the European Healthy Cities Network in its third phase, which took place from 1998 to 2002. Joining the WHO European Healthy Cities Network, marked the beginning of a direct communication with the World Health Organisation, the cities included in the European Healthy Cities Network, and the promotion of innovations and changes in health policies at local level.

At the beginning of 1999, the Project Office “Rijeka – Healthy City” was established and the systematic work of citizens' interest groups initiated, having as priorities the following scope of activities:

Adequate/sustainable development of the city
Improvement of environmental health
Improvement of health of children and young people
Support to people with disabilities
Improvement of the quality of life of the elderly

The Office organised the media coverage of the programme activities, while in order to better inform the members the Newsletter was launched aimed at presenting the work of interest groups and work on the Project on the whole.

The coordinator of the Project “Rijeka – Healthy City” is Ankica Perhat, who is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the European Healthy Cities Network in Phase IV, which is an exceptional tribute to Rijeka.

The activities of the project "Rijeka – Healthy City" additionally intensified in the 4th phase which started in 2003 and lasted by the end of 2008. The priority topics of this phase included the promotion of healthy ageing, healthy urban development planning, physical activities and active life and the introduction of a method to assess the impact of different programmes, projects and initiatives on the health of citizens.

At present the project is in its 5th phase, within which the City of Rijeka will further address the topic of healthy ageing promotion and will begin promoting more intensely the prevention of alcohol and drug abuse and will develop a social housing model. The fifth phase was initiated in 2009 and it will terminate in 2013.

The Project aimed at promoting health

The Project "Rijeka – Healthy City" is a kind of a framework for addressing some essential problems not only encountered by our city, but by most European cities as well.

In addition to its direct contribution to the local community, especially in the promotion of health, the project can serve as a positive model for other Croatian cities, especially those included in the Croatian Healthy Cities Network.

At international level, the project promotes Rijeka as a city that endeavours to provide a healthy and quality life to its citizens, thus certainly contributing to a wider recognition of Rijeka and Croatia.

More detailed project information is available on the website of the European Healthy Cities Network and the Croatian Healthy Cities Network.

More information on the programme you can obtain from the web sites of the European Healthy Cities Network and the Croatian Healthy Cities Network.