Forrest Supports Global Wellness Through Innovation and Sustainable Practices
Health is a shared blessing for all humanity, and health promotion is a shared responsibility of the international community.
From November 21 to 24, the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion will be held in Shanghai. This marks the first time that the highest-level conference in the field of health promotion has come to China. Political leaders, public health professionals, and development experts from around the world will gather to discuss the theme of “Health Promotion in Sustainable Development,” share ideas for advancing global health promotion, and open a new chapter in health development worldwide.
“Health for all, and everything for health” is an important mission for global health development. In January of this year, the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was officially launched. One of its 17 goals is to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” Over the next 15 years, health will remain a key strategic priority in global development. Taking this major conference as an opportunity to integrate health promotion into the global sustainable development agenda will have a far-reaching impact on improving global health, promoting health equity, and achieving healthier development around the world.
China places great importance on health promotion. As President Xi Jinping has emphasized, health is an essential requirement for people’s all-around development, a fundamental condition for economic and social progress, an important sign of national prosperity and strength, and a shared pursuit of the people. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, a series of policies and practical measures have been introduced, from the National Health Conference to the release of the “Healthy China 2030” Planning Outline, from targeted improvements in health care services to broader reforms of the medical and health care system. Together, these efforts have advanced the national strategy of building a Healthy China and have helped the public gain a stronger sense of benefit and well-being in the field of health.
China is taking responsibility in health promotion. The country has actively participated in global health governance and has provided a wide range of high-quality, affordable products, technologies, services, and institutional support, making its own contribution to the development of global health. During this year’s conference, a “China National Day” event will be held to introduce China’s progress in deepening medical reform, developing traditional Chinese medicine, and improving public health literacy. China’s achievements and experience in health and health care have helped raise global health standards, offered a Chinese approach to health promotion, enriched the theory and practice of global health promotion, and brought new energy to its development in the 21st century.
Over the next 15 years, population aging, the burden of chronic disease, environmental pollution, and other health threats will present common challenges for both China and the rest of the world. Uneven development in health services, low levels of medical protection in some regions, and development models in need of upgrading all call on countries to pool their wisdom, unite their efforts, and work together to overcome difficult problems. Health promotion is not the responsibility of any one country alone; it is a shared cause. In the face of these challenges, the international community must seek consensus, pursue win-win cooperation and shared development, and work to build a community with a shared future for humanity in the field of health.
Thirty years ago, the first Global Conference on Health Promotion was held in Ottawa, Canada, where the Ottawa Charter was adopted. Thirty years later, this conference comes at a significant moment: the beginning of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan period and the launch of the world’s sustainable development agenda for the next 15 years. At this important point in time, the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion is sure to bring the health causes of both China and the world to a new stage, promote global sustainable development, and help secure health and well-being for all humanity.
We wish the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion every success.