Preparation for global health meeting smoothly underway

Jiang Xingguang

(en.nhfpc.gov.cn)

Updated: 2016-08-03

Preparation for the upcoming global health conference is going smoothly, said Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, after attending a meeting in Beijing on July 28.

Li Bin, minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), also attended the conference which was designed to review the preparation process.

"We are in full preparation to make the conference a great success for both policy advocacy and effectiveness," Li said.

Themed "Health Promotion in the Sustainable Development Goals", the Ninth Global Conference on Health Promotion is scheduled to kick off on Nov 21 in Shanghai.

The gathering will provide an unprecedented opportunity to reassert the significance of improving health and health equity. It comes at a historical moment—the 30th anniversary of the Ottawa Charter and the first year of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, according to the official website.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Li said.

Since China is facing a fast social-economic transition, the public demand for health services is rising rapidly, according to Li.

"We're compiling the 'Healthy China 2030 Outline' to guide national health development in the future," Li said.

Margaret Chan said the WHO will invite a high-level line-up of leaders from across different fields to the conference.

The four-day conference will be held at the Shanghai International Convention Center, which is located in the heart of Lujiazui—Shanghai's financial and trade zone.